True Purpose in Life
by Spagetti13
Summary: The Chosen he was looking for has finally started her Journey of World Regeneration. Now that she has started, he has a chance to find his purpose in this world. To find out why he was granted with what he called a curse.
1. The Oracle

******A/N: Well, this is my first story, so be nice about it. Anyways, I don't own ToS they belong to NAMCO. If I did own it though, Genis would probably be dead.**

******(7/19/13): I decided to come back to old chapters and edit a bit.**

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**Chapter 1: The Oracle**

It was a beautiful, peaceful day in Iselia, as usual. The sun shone brightly through the classroom window as Professor Raine lectured us on today's lesson: The Ancient War. "OK everyone." the teacher said. "Now who can tell me how the Ancient War was stopped? Lloyd, how about you."

After a full minute of absolute silence(Minus the soft snoring, where ever that's coming from), and no response from the spiky-haired swordsman, Professor Raine sighed.

"Lloyd Irving, wake up!" commanded the Professor. I turned to look at Lloyd. Sure enough, he was fast asleep, drooling all over his red jacket. How he manages to sleep standing is still a mystery to me. "Lloyd!" she said again. Realizing that yelling at him is ineffective, she threw a chalkboard eraser at his face. When the eraser made impact, he woke up with a grunt.

"How do you manage to sleep standing?" she asked in a disappointed voice, pacing back and forth in front of him.

"Oh, Professor Raine." he said, wiping the drool from his mouth. "Eh-is class over?" The silverette sighed again then walked back to her desk. "Never mind. Let's have someone else answer the question. Genis, how about you."

The younger brother of the Professor stood up. "Yes, Raine." he said obediently. "Mithos, the hero, brought about the end of the Ancient War on the Holy Ground of Kharlan."

"Correct." said Raine. "Afterwards, Mithos, the hero, formed a pact with the Goddess Martel to seal away the Desians whom caused the war."

"That's not exactly what had happened." I muttered. "Oh, is there something you would like to add, Anthony." she said. I sat in my desk not saying a word. After a while, she continued her lecture. "Now then, as I was saying-"

"Wait a minute!" Lloyd interrupted angrily. "If the Desians were sealed away, then why are they back now and causing everyone to suffer?!"

"We discussed that in class last time, remember?" she told him. "When the Seal weakens, the Desians reappear, just like they have now."

"I-I knew that." Lloyd said, embarrassed. "I-I just forgot."

Ignoring this, Raine continued. "Today is the Day of Prophecy. It is a very important day, which the Chosen of Mana will receive an oracle from the Goddess Martel."

_'Yes, the endless, pointless death cycle has come upon us again.' _I thought bitterly.

"Now Chosen One."

The blonde Chosen stood up. "Yes ma'am."

"Tell us about the Journey of World Regeneration." Raine said.

"It is a journey to seal the Desians." Colette explained. "Upon passing the trials of the Goddess Martel, the Summon Spirits that protect the world awaken, and mana is restored."

_'If only you knew the whole truth...'_

"Correct." said Raine. "I suppose we should expect the Chosen herself to know the answer to that one. Mana depletion is the cause of the current food shortages and droughts. It is said that this occurs because the Desians consume vast amounts of mana in their human ranches."

Colette turned to Lloyd and locked eyes with him. Lloyd blushed. Seeing his red cheeks caused her to blush too, then she quickly turned around and sat down. Stifling a laugh, I turned my gaze back to Raine. "The Chosen's journey has two purposes-to revive mana, as well as defeat the Desians."

_'If only it were permanent...'_

"Now for the next question-" But she was cut off by a bright light.

"Wh-what was that?!" Lloyd exclaimed. "That's…" Colette started to say, but was too shocked and mesmerized from the radiant shine coming from the light to continue.

"Settle down." Raine said calmly, which brought everyone to silence. "It would seem that the time for the oracle has come. I will go and check on the chapel. Everyone, stay here and study on your own. Understood?" Then, when she was about to exit the classroom, Colette stood up again. "Professor!" she said. "I'll go with you."

"No, Colette." Raine told her. "If it is the oracle, the priests will come here for you. Wait here with everyone else." "Yes ma'am." Colette said, watching her leave.

_'The oracle, huh.' _I thought. _'I wonder if Colette is the one I'm looking for? If she is-'_

"Lloyd!" someone said. I turned my head to the classroom door. It was Genis. "Don't tell me you're sneaking out! Raine will get mad!"

"I'm really curious to find out what happens when Colette receives the oracle." Lloyd told Genis. "They always talk about the 'Chosen of Regeneration' and the 'Day of Prophecy', but no one tells us what really happens."

"But my sister said to stay and study by ourselves." Genis protested.

"It's research" Lloyd retaliated.

"That's just an excuse!" Genis said angrily.

"So?" Lloyd said. "An excuse is an excuse, right? Don't be so stuffy. You're coming too, right? We're best friends, after all!"

_'Yeah, don't be such a baby!'_

"Colette, you want to come too?" Lloyd asked, looking at the blonde girl.

"Huh?" Colette responded. "Um, OK." Then Colette got up and joined her two friends. "So where to?" she asked.

Lloyd groaned. "Where else?! That light! You're directly involved in all of this. Aren't you curious?"

"Hmm… Are you curious about it?" she asked. "Of course!" Lloyd replied. "OK then," she said "then I'll be curious about it too."

"See?" Lloyd told Genis. "'Dwarven Vow #4: Don't depend on others. Walk on your own two legs.' OK then! Let's go to the temple!"

Genis groaned. "Not the Dwarven Vows again. You always use those when you need an excuse." But he gave in and went with them. _'_

_I have to go with them.'_ I thought. _'Maybe Colette_ is_ the one I'm searching for.' _"Wait!" I said. They turned to me. "Can I come along too?"

"OK!" Colette said happily. "Wait a minute, Colette." Lloyd said.

"Yeah Colette." Genis said, glaring at me. "Don't you remember what I told you about him?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "Remember, I told you he is a half-elf." Genis whispered loudly. "What's wrong with half-elves?" she asked.

"A majority of the Desians are made up of half-elves." he explained. "He could be trying to kill you!"

I couldn't believe Genis. In the two months I've been here, he managed to single-handedly ruin my life by telling everyone in the village I was a half-elf. I could always ruin his life by telling he and his sister were half-elves, but I wasn't going to sink to his level. Even if I've been cursed at, stoned, beat up, and other things I would rather not talk about, I wasn't going to give him a real reason to hate me.

"Fine." I muttered. "I'll just… leave you guys alone then." Then I went to the far corner where my desk was. When I reached my desk, Colette came towards me, but halfway towards my desk, she tripped and fell down. I took her hand and helped her up.

"Thanks!" she chirped.

"No problem." I told her. "So… What do you want?" I asked.

"I want you to come with us!" She said in her usual cheery voice.

"S-seriously?!" I stuttered. Then, in a louder voice that radiated sarcasm, I said, "Are you sure you want me to come? Apparently, I'm trying to kill you."

"I don't think you want to kill me." she said. "In fact, I think you want to be my friend!" I began to blush.

"Wh-what are you talking about?!" I asked her. "Well, isn't that why you wanted to come with us? So you could become our friends?"

I looked to Lloyd and Genis, the younger one giving me death glares. "Please come with us." Colette said. "It would be nice for me to have more friends. So, will you come?" "Sure." I said. Then we walked back to the two boys together.

"Lloyd, Genis. Anthony is coming with us." Colette said firmly.

"OK." Lloyd said, a little confused on what's happening.

"Fine…" Genis said grumpily.

"All right then." she said. "Let's go!" Then we left the classroom and went outside.

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**A/N: That was the first chapter of my first story. Please tell me on what I need to work on. Oh, and before I forget, I need to tell you guys something. I don't have a computer, so I won't be able to update anything very often. Don't expect any new chapters anytime soon, I'll only be able to update whenever I get my hands on a computer. Please review!**


	2. The Desians Invade

******A/N: Well, I'm still on a computer, so I decided to post the second chapter now. I OWN NOTHING!**

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**Chapter 2: The Desians Invade**

When we went outside, the first thing I noticed was the silence. Normally, Iselia was quite lively, so it's kinda weird to see it so desolate and quiet. "Where is everyone?" Lloyd asked.

"I dunno." Genis answered.

"Colette!" someone called out.

It was Colette's father, Frank. "Father!" Colette said. "Thank goodness you're safe." he said.

"What happened to the village?" Genis asked.

"Yeah, it's awfully quiet." Lloyd followed up.

"Where is everyone?" Colette asked, worried.

"They're all hiding." Frank answered. "The Desians invaded the village just a short while ago. Thankfully, no one was hurt. They passed through the village and headed for the temple, though."

"Why?!" Genis exclaimed. "Iselia has a non-aggression treaty with the Desians."

"Yeah, this makes no sense!" Lloyd said. Genis then turned to me and started to glare at me.

"It was you, wasn't it?!" Genis yelled.

I stared at him in disbelief. "What are you talking about." I said as calmly as I can.

"You called your Desian friends to come and kill Colette!" he screamed. "I knew we couldn't trust you!"

"OK first of all," I said. "How can I call them with out any means of communication and second of all, if you have completely forgotten, I have no friends. I don't even have Desian friends, you idiot!" My temper began to rise. " Why would I want to be friends with people as cruel as the Desians! What kind of person do you think I am!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down." Lloyd said. "You're starting to scare me."

"Yeah, Anthony." Colette said. "Please, both of you, stop fighting." I tried to calm down, but Genis was still glaring at me with accusation in his eyes. "Does Grandmother know about this?" she asked.

"I'm afraid not." Frank replied grimly. "She's in the temple preparing for the ritual."

"Phaidra's in the temple?" Lloyd asked. "Hey, isn't that where the Desians are…"

"Oh my goodness we have to go help her!" Colette exclaimed, worried for her grandmother's safety.

"Don't worry." Frank said. "The priests are with her. She'll be fine." But there was uncertainty in his voice when he said the last part. "Now Colette…"

"I know." she said, as if she was reading his thoughts. "I promise to fulfill my duty as the Chosen."

"Good luck, my daughter." he said. "Lloyd, Genis, Anthony, you three should go on home."

"I'm worried about letting Colette go by herself." Lloyd said. "I'll go with her to the temple."

"Yeah, count me in too." Genis said.

"I'm going too." I said.

"I don't think so!" Genis yelled. "You might still try to kill Colette. You're not coming."

"Stop it, Genis, please." Colette pleaded. "What did he do to you to make you hate him so much." Genis just stood there not saying anything.

"I… don't want to tell you." he finally said.

Lloyd looked utterly confused. His best friend had never kept any secrets from him, so this really shocked him. "Why not?" he questioned.

"It's... complicated." Genis replied, being vague.

"Well, if you have no good reason, then he is coming with us. Lloyd, any objections?"

Lloyd was still thinking about what Genis had said. "Lloyd?" Colette asked. "Are you OK?"

Lloyd finally snapped out of it. "Sorry." He said. "What did you say?"

Colette was confused, but repeated her question "Is it OK if Anthony comes with us?"

Genis gave Lloyd a pleading look, his eyes begging him to not let me go. Unfortunately for him, Lloyd said, "It's OK with me."

Genis let out a loud groan, which made Colette frown. "Please Genis. Tell us why you don't like him!"

Genis remained silent.

"Well, we should be on our way." I said, changing the subject. We then began to travel in silence to the Martel Temple.

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**A/N: Sorry it's so short. Though I like to think of this as a filler chapter, just like there are filler episodes in anime.**

**Anyways, review plz**


	3. The Martel Temple

**A/N:Sorry for not updating lately, but the good news is I FINALLY GOT MY LAPTOP! Anyways, now that I think about it, splitting this chapter up was pretty stupid and pointless so I uploaded the rest of it. Sorry! To make it up to you guys, I'm going to post the other chapter RIGHT NOW. Enjoy!**

**P.S:I own nothing except my OC.**

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**Chapter 3: The Martel Temple**

We didn't encounter a lot of monsters on the way to the temple, since the oracle was giving off holy energy which kept monsters from coming near the temple. After a few minutes, we reached the temple. I couldn't help but stare in amazement at the grand temple. With the oracle giving off that light, it made the temple look magnificent in my eyes.

"Whoa. That light really is coming from the temple!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"Then an oracle is going to be conveyed. Colette's going to be the Chosen of Regeneration!" Genis added excitedly. We all looked at Colette, waiting to see her reaction to this.

"It's really, really bright!" she said simply with fascination.

We all groaned at Colette's ditsy response. "Say Colette," Lloyd said. "When the oracle is conveyed, you'll become the Chosen who will save the world, right? You're going to be like the hero, Mithos!" Then he said with a more serious tone, "So maybe you should act a little more... you know. Chosen-like..."

Colette got over her fascination and said with a tone that was still more excited than serious, "Yeah! No problem, no problem."

"Hey," I said. "Do you here all that commotion coming from the temple?" Lloyd listened carefully. "You're right. I hear it too." "It sounds like a fight." Genis said. As the commotion continued, a figure was coming down the stairs. It was the Pastor. But something was wrong with him. He was limping down and clutching his chest with his hand.

"Chosen One!" he yelled weakly. When he got closer, I saw what was wrong with him. He was bleeding a lot through his chest where his heart was. His pure white robes were heavily stained with blood and were slightly burned and ripped.

Once he reached us, he collapsed. "Pastor!" Colette screamed in terror. Lloyd knelt down and picked his head up. "The Desians broke the non-aggression treaty and attacked the temple..." he said weakly. "Chosen One... quickly... the oracle..."

I was sorta pissed off, because he wasted his energy on stating the obvious, but nonetheless I knelt down beside him and put my hand over him. After muttering an incantation, my hands began to glow and started to heal him.

"You can use healing artes!" Genis said.

"Of course. How else do you think I recovered from that broken legs you convinced the village boys to break?" I replied simply.

"You guys broke his legs?" Colette said, shocked by how her friend was capable of such cruelty. "How?"

"That's not important." Lloyd said, gently putting down the Pastor's head. "Right now, he should focus on healing the Pastor."

He was right. The Pastor already lost too much blood. It was a miracle he was able to walk down the stairs instead of tumbling. The stab to his heart was already slowly closing.

"Please... be careful..." he croaked. Then he began coughing, spewing more blood on his robes and my face in the process.

"Please, don't talk." I said. "You shouldn't strain yourself." But it was already too late. He lost too much blood and the stab to his heart wasn't healing as well as I thought it would.

With his last words he said, "I regret that I will not... be able to pro... tect... the... Cho... sen..." He lay still in the ground, a sad expression on his face. The man had breathed his last breath. I stood up. "It's too late. He's... dead."

Colette began crying. Lloyd reached out and hugged her, trying to comfort her from the death of the Pastor. "I'm sorry I couldn't help him." I told her, wiping the blood from my face.

"I-it's not y-your f-fault." she managed between sobs.

_'It's still my fault.' _I thought. _'If only I were stronger...'_

Once she calmed down, she left Lloyd's embrace and started going up the stairs. "Where are you going?" Lloyd asked, a little disappointed that Colette left him.

"I'm going to accept the oracle." she said.

"But there are Desians up there!" Genis said worriedly.

"Yes... but I have to." she said in a more serious tone. "My job is to accept the oracle on the Day of Prophecy. You three stay here, OK!"

"Lloyd, you're just going to let Colette go by herself!" Genis complained.

Lloyd thought for a moment, then he said, "I'm going too. I'm not going to let you go by yourself."

_'Did you seriously had to think about it?'_

"Are you sure?" she said. "It's dangerous."

"'Dwarven Vow No. 1: Let's all work together for a peaceful world.'" Lloyd quoted. He began climbing up the steps until he reached her. "Let's go."

Genis ran up the stairs up to the duo. "Wait! I'm going too. I'm worried about Raine." Colette smiled at her two dearest friends. "Thanks, you two!" Then she looked towards me. "Are you still coming, too?" she asked.

"If you still want me to." I answered.

"No! Of course I want you to come. It's just... there are Desian up there, and... well, I just don't want anything to happen to you. I can't convince these two-" she gestured towards Lloyd and Genis. "To not come with me, so I was hoping I can still convince you not to come."

I thought this over for a minute. _'She actually cares for me. Just like Aggie...' _Then I said to her, "I'm still coming with you, no matter what. You're my first friend, so I'm sticking with you 'til the end."

Genis groaned and Lloyd punched his shoulder. "Well then, let's go." she said. I went up the stairs to the three friends. Then we continued up the steps until we reached the top.

Once we reached the top, we saw Colette's grandmother, Phaidra, being crowded to the doors leading into the temple by four Desians and a guy with spiky dark brown hair and was wearing robes that made him look like a noble. He had an Exsphere on his left hand. "Where is the Chosen?" he asked, with a tone that said he expected to be answered. Phaidra backed up more until her back was pressed against the doors. Then she had a shocked look on her face when her gaze fell on us four.

"Run, Colette!" she yelled.

I sighed, thinking that she was stupid for yelling out to us when the Desians and that guy didn't even notice us. We could have easily taken out the Desians and had an advantage over the big guy if she didn't pretty much say 'She's over there! Go ahead and take her!' But it didn't matter anymore.

"Lord Botta!" one of the Desians said. "There she is." The man, Botta, turned around. "Chosen One!" he shouted. "Your life is mine!"

Lloyd took out his two wooden blades. "I won't let you Desians get away with anything!" he yelled.

"Desians?" one of them said. Then he laughed.

"What's so funny?!" Genis said.

"Well then," another one said. "die at the hands of the Desians you so hate. Get them!" Then they ran towards us.

_'Wait,'_ I thought _'if these aren't Desians, then... Oh, it's them.'_ Then the rest of us took out our weapons, Colette her rings, Genis his kendama, and me with my bow.

"Nice weapon, Anthony." Genis said sarcastically.

"This coming from the guy who uses a toy as a weapon." I shot back.

Genis blushed, obviously embarrassed by my word. "It-helps-me-concentrate-with-my magic!" he hissed.

"Hey, you guys!" Lloyd shouted. "We're supposed to be fighting these Desians, not each other." He was right. Although we were evenly matched, the Desians already decided Lloyd was the big threat and two were attacking him. And Colette was already giving her all against a Desian that was focusing on her. All that was left was a Desian coming towards us.

"Lloyd's right." I said. "We'll settle this later"

"Agreed." he said, then began casting while playing with his kendama. I notched an arrow, preparing to shoot the Desian making his way to Genis. Once he reached Genis, getting ready to lash out at him with his whip, I released the arrow, hitting him in the leg. He screamed in pain and clutched his bleeding leg.

**_"Fire Ball!"_ **Genis shouted, releasing three big balls of fire towards the Desian. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late. The fireballs hit him and he collapsed to the floor,dead. Colette finally defeated her Desian, but she was gravely injured. I went towards her and began to heal her. Instantly, her wounds were healed.

"Thanks!" she said gratefully. "No problem." I told her. "Let's go help Lloyd."

Right." she said. We both ran towards Lloyd, who was still fending of one Desian. He managed to kill one, but he was slightly worn out, so I began healing.

**_"Lightning!"_ **Genis shouted, summoning a lightning bolt over the Desians. The lightning bolt electrocuted the Desian to death, leaving us victory.

"We did it!" Genis said triumphantly.

"Don't get excited now." I said. "Look." Genis looked in front of us, and the happiness was knocked right out of him.

A huge guy, the size of a full-grown bear approached us. He was wearing a helmet with small tusks attached to it (Or was attached to **him.**) He wore a shirt and shorts that looked way too small for him and had a huge hammer and a ball and chain for a weapon.

"Do not get in our way!" he shouted, his tone just screaming with low intelligence. We began fighting him but he was too strong. Despite his small clothing, he was pretty well protected with his huge weapons and armor on his chest and legs. I tried shooting him where is skin was exposed, but he had skin like iron. Most of the arrows just bounced off him, and the ones that did hit him didn't seem to hurt him. We were all exhausted.

"Man, this guy's strong!" Genis said, sounding beat. As the enemy was about to give a deadly blow to Lloyd, someone stepped in and protected him, knocking the enemy down. "Who are you?" Lloyd asked.

Then man had auburn hair and brown eyes. He wore a sleeveless dark blue shirt and a dark blue cape with light blue trimmings. He also had on dark blue pants and had his sword drawn. Rage boiled inside of me. _'It's you!' _I thought bitterly

The man glanced towards Lloyd, then looked back towards the enemy. "Get out of the way." the man said.

We all got up. I then began healing the others, but the man kept on doing it before me. So instead, I began casting magic.

_**"Ice Needles!"**_I shouted, sending needles of ice towards the enemy.

_**"Wind Blade!"** _Genis shouted, sending blade of wind at the same time as my spell. The two spells combined and hit the enemy hard, dealing intense damage to him. This allowed Lloyd and Colette to go in closer and attack him.

_**"Sonic Thrust!"** _Lloyd shouted, thrusting the enemy with a powerful thrust.

_**"Pow Hammer!"**_Colette shouted, throwing a toy hammer at him that she keeps who-knows-where. Fortunately, though, the toys deal some pretty hard damage, so as long as Colette has a lot, I could care less where she keeps them.

_**"Storm** **Edge!"**_ I shouted, sending a stream of arrows at the enemy, finishing him off. We were all very happy for defeating the large foe.

"Damn," Botta said, glaring at the man. "I never thought you showed up. Retreat for now!" And the remaining Desians ran away.

"This guy's incredibly strong!" Genis exclaimed.

"Y-Yeah... I-I suppose so..." Lloyd said, obviously jealous of the man's sword skills.

"Is everyone all right?" the man asked. "Hmm... no one seems to be hurt." Then something flashed on his hand. It was an Exsphere.

"Is that an Exsphere?" Lloyd asked.

The man didn't answer. Phaidra walked towards us. "How can I ever thank you for saving the Chosen?"

"I see," he said, staring at Colette. "so this girl is the next Chosen." I rolled my eyes. _'Like you didn't know...'_

That's right!" she said. "I have to go accept the oracle." Then she looked towards Phaidra. "Grandmother, I'm going to undergo the trial."

"What trial?" Lloyd asked.

"The monsters, I assume." the man answered. "An evil presence radiates from the inside of this chapel."

"Yes, that is correct." Phaidra said. "The Chosen is to receive judgement from heaven. But the priests that were to accompany her fell at the hands of the Desians." she added sadly.

"Then I'll take on the job of protecting Colette." Lloyd said.

"Lloyd?" she said uneasily. "I would be disappointed with just you."

"Your name is Lloyd?" the man said, trying to hide his shock, which he utterly failed.

"Yeah, but who are you to ask for my name?" Lloyd said. The man didn't say anything for a while. Then he said, "I am Kratos, a mercenary. As long as you can pay me, I'll accept the job of guarding the Chosen."

"Under the circumstances, I have little choice." Phaidra said. "Please, be of service."

"It's a deal then." he said.

"Wait! I'm going too." Lloyd said. Kratos began glaring at him. "Lloyd," he began. "you'll only get in the way. Be a good boy and wait here."

"What did you say?!" Lloyd said angrily.

I stifled a laugh at Lloyd's reaction. _'It's funny to see him angry.' _I thought.

"Did I not make myself clear." Kratos spat. "You're a burden. Go home!" That's when Colette stepped in. "Um... Mr. Kratos," Colette asked sweetly. "Would it be okay if Lloyd came along too?"

Kratos was slightly taken aback. "But.."

"Please." she said. "I get nervous when he's not around." He didn't say anything for a while. "Do as you wish." he finally said. Colette looked absolutely happy. "Thank you!" she said. Then she turned to me. "You're coming to, right?" she asked.

"Of course." I said. "I have nothing better to do." Then we began to go inside the temple. Lloyd caught up with us.

"Thanks Colette." he said. "It's the truth!" chirped. Then we made our way inside the temple, with Genis right behind us.

Once we were inside the temple, I took a good look around. The inside was circular, like the outside, with many stairways leading to different parts of the temple. The walls and floors were decorated with ancient symbols and had a bit of writing written in the language of the angels. The writing translated to _'The temple of the Chosen.'_

"It's been a while since I've been here." I muttered.

"What are you talking about." Lloyd asked.

"Nothing!" I said quickly. _'That was close!" _I thought. _'I need to be careful with what I say.'_

_Yeah you do, you idiot.' _the voice said to me.

_'Shut up!'_ This voice has been bugging me for as long as I can remember, which was a LONG time.

"Colette, you've been in here many times, right?" Genis asked.

"Yes," Colette replied. "But it seems different than usual."

"I sense the presence of monsters." Kratos said. "Don't let your guard down."

"We can handle a few measly monsters." Lloyd said. "Let's go."

"Wait, Lloyd." Kratos said. "Are your sword techniques self-taught?"

"Yeah, that's right." Lloyd said arrogantly. Kratos looked a little angry. He walked towards Lloyd, which made me think he was going to pummel him. Lloyd must have noticed his face too, because a look of panic spread across his face. Instead of beating Lloyd to a pulp, when Kratos reached him, he handed him a book. The look of panic on Lloyd's face turned into a look of confusion.

"What's this?" he asked.

"If you're going to use a sword, then at least learn the basics." Kratos replied coldly. "You want to protect the Chosen, don't you?" He then began to proceed through the chapel.

"Humph! You think you know so much." Lloyd said grumpily.

"Well, he is more experienced than you." I said.

"Sh-Shut up!" Lloyd said with a deep blush on his face.

"Come on, let's go." I told them. Then I asked Colette, "Do you know where the altar is?"

She thought about it for a moment. "Hmm... I think it's up ahead." she replied. We proceeded straight ahead, but there was a problem. The door was sealed with magic.

"It's sealed." Kratos reported.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious." I said. Kratos began to glare at me and I stared at him back, daring him to make a move. Unfortunately, he didn't budge.

Colette examined the seal. "The Sorcerer's Ring can probably open it." she said. "It's enshrined somewhere in the temple."

"Where is it?" Genis asked.

Colette thought about it "Umm... I don't know." she said. "I'm sorry."

Everyone sighed. "Don't worry about it Colette." I said. "We'll just look for it." Then we began our search for the Sorcerer's Ring. We went to the left side of the temple, meeting a few monsters once we reached it. Kratos proved his sword skills superior than Lloyd's in this battle, taking out the monsters before the rest of us can even attack. We must have been a little too astonished, because then he said, "What are you kids waiting for. Come on."

It wasn't on the left side, because halfway through the wall was collapsed, so we went to the right. We found a staircase leading deeper into the temple. We came to a floor made of very thick glass with open spaces shaped like squares.

"Hey look," Lloyd shouted. "There it is!" He was right. At the far center of the room, a ring with an orange gem was levitating over a small pillar. "Let's go get it!"

"Wait a minute." Colette said. "There's something over here." And she began walking towards the object that caught her eye. It was a huge stone slab shaped like a cube. But it was moving. Cubes weren't supposed to move. Unless...

"Wait Colette! Don't go towards it!" I shouted. But it was too late. The stone slab began to morph. It was extremely tall, reaching the ceiling. It had small red eyes and seemed to be made of rocks and soil. It was a golem.

"Look out!" Kratos shouted and rushed to protect Colette. Once she got over the fact that it was a monster, she began to help Lloyd and Kratos fight while Genis and I got away to a safe distance to cast magic.

**_"Aqua Edge!"_ **Genis shouted, sending streams of water streams of water to the golem. Apperantly, it had a great affect on the golem, as it stumbled a little. That's when I had an idea. I began walking closer to the golem.

"Anthony! What are you doing!" Genis shouted. "I have an idea!" I shouted back.

Once I got close enough, I took out three arrows and aimed them towards Lloyd, Colette, and Kratos. I concentrated really hard on them.

"Are you nuts!?" Genis shouted. "Why are you aiming at them!"

"You'll see!" I said then I shouted, _**"Aqua**** Influence!"**_ and released the arrows. When the arrows made contact, they disappeared and left no mark, as if I never shot them. Then, all of a sudden, their weapons turned a pale blue.

"Wh-What's going on!?" Lloyd shouted.

"Don't worry!" I told them. "It just made your weapons water-elemental! It'll wear off after the battle!"

Lloyd, who looked impressed, shouted back, "OK. Thanks!" and proceeded fighting.

I then took out three more arrows and aimed them at the golems. After concentrating, I shouted, _**"Aqua Arrows!"**_and released them. When they got closer to the golem, the arrows turned entirely into water. It was basically water shaped into an arrow with the power of a real arrow. The arrows hit the golem and then it was defeated. Lloyd's, Colette's, and Kratos' weapons turned back into their original colors and the golem turned back into a slab of rock.

"Wow! It turned back into a rock!" Colette exclaimed.

"It was kind of a rock to begin with." Lloyd said.

Colette began to examine it, but she tripped, "Oops!" and pushed the rock into a nearby hole. Fortunately, instead of breaking, it fell into a gap. "Oh no!" Colette said sadly.

Genis put on his thinking look. then he said, "I get it!"

Lloyd and Colette gave him confused looks. "Get what?" Lloyd asked.

"In just a moment, it'll probably-" then he pointed at another golem that magically appeared. "See, there it is."

"Whoa! There's another one!" Lloyd said, shocked for some reason.

"Now let's take care of it and drop it below." Genis shouted. Lloyd gave him another confused look. I sighed. _'It's a miracle he's able to do his homework- unless Genis does for him.' _I thought.

We fought about four or five golems, soon filling in the gaps that lead to the Sorcerer's Ring.

"So this is the Sorcerer's Ring!" Genis said, mesmerized. "I've heard it's a holy artifact of the Church of Martel."

"We should be able to deal with most traps and obstacles with it." Kratos informed.

"Wow! Let me try it!" Lloyd shouted, snatching the ring off the pedestal and putting it on his finger.

"You're such a little kid." Genis told him. Lloyd ignored him. We began to make our way back to the altar, Lloyd shooting everything with a small blast of fire with the Sorcerer's Ring at every opportunity. When we reached the altar, I told Lloyd, "Use the ring." He sent a small blast of fire into the heart of the seal, and it faded away.

"Uh... is that all the Sorcerer's ring does?" Lloyd asked, finally getting bored with it.

"Of course." I told him. "What did you think it does?"

"I don't know, but I was expecting something a little more... exciting."

"You get bored so easily." Genis said. We then began to approach the teleporter that leads to the altar. One by one, we each stepped into it and warped to the altar.

"This appears to be the top floor." Katos stated. I rolled my eyes, hating the fact that he always states the obvious.

"Yes this is the altar." Colette told us.

"Then that over there must be the Cruxis Crystal" Lloyd said, pointing at a shining red sphere perched in the middle of the altar.

"That's right." she said. "They say I was born with it in my hand."

"Look at that light!" Genis exclaimed.

He was right to be excited. Up close, it looks very beautiful and it radiated holy energy. Then, a small sphere of light descended from the ceiling and hovered a few feet from the altar. The sphere let loose a small burst of light that temporarily blinded me. Once the light was gone and my vision began to return, I saw an angel. He wore a priest's robe and hat. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, similar to Colette's. And of course, he had angel wings that had pure white feathers.

"Wh-what is that?" Lloyd said, dumbfounded.

"An angel, I would presume." Kratos answered with a tone of obviousness.

"So, is that Colette's real father?" Genis asked. Colette, who apparently didn't hear Genis, went up to the angel.

"I am Remiel." the angel said. "I am an angel of judgement. I am here to guide Colette, daughter of the mana lineage, on her journey to heaven as the seventh Chosen." The Cruxis Crystal levitated higher into the air ant Remiel descended until the two meet. "The time has come to awaken the goddess Martel," he said. "who slumbers at the center of the world."

"Awaken th Goddess Martel." Genis said. "It's just like the legend Raine told us." The Cruxis Crystal began to slowly hover towards Colette. Oncce it reached her neck, it let out a small burst of light and Colette clutched it. Once the light went away, Colette's neck, which used to be bare, now bore the Cruxis Crystal.

"From this moment, Colette becomes the Chosen of Regeneration." Remiel announced. "We of Cruxis bless this event, and hereby bestow the Tower of Salvation upon Sylvarant." We all looked out the window to see the Tower of Salvation slowly fading into existence far, far away. It looked very grand, with it's height that reaches into the heavens and it's ivory walls.

"So that's the Tower of Salvation!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"Now the world will be saved!" Genis said excitedly.

"Colette, the Chosen of Regeneration." Remiel began. "Unlock the seals that guard the Tower of Salvation and climb its stairs to heaven in distant lands."

"I humbly accept this task." Colette said.

"Very good." Remiel told her. "We of Cruxis shall grant you the power of the angels with each seal you unlock. Once you are reborn as an angel, this eroded world shall be regenerated."

"Thank you." she said. "I swear on my life that I will regenerate the world."

"First, head south to the Seal of Fire." Remiel instructed. "Offer your prayers in that distant land."

"Yes, Lord Remiel." Colette said. Remiel began to ascend, but before he left entirely, Colette said, "Wait! Please wait!" Remiel stopped. "I have a question I wish to ask you. Are you really my fa-"

"First, head to the Seal of Fire." Remiel interrupted. "Understood? My beloved daughter, Colette."

"F-Father!" Colette exclaimed. "So you really are my true father!" I wanted to tell her that Remiel wasn't her true father; that he was lying, but I held my tongue. _'Saying stuff like that will only bring suspicion towards you.' _I thought to myself.

"We shall meet again at the next seal, my daughter." Remiel said. Then he was engulfed in holy light, then he vanished, leaving a trail of angel feathers behind.

"You've received the oracle." Kratos said. "Let us leave now, Chosen." "Yes." she said. Then Kratos turned to the three of us. "We're going on ahead." Then he stepped on to the teleporter and warped out of the altar. Colette then turned to us.

"Uh, thank you, you guys." she said. "Please stop by my house later." Then she, too, stepped on the teleporter and left the altar, leaving just me, Genis, and Lloyd.

"The rumor was true, then." Genis said.

"What rumor?" Lloyd asked him.

"That Colette was the daughter of an angel, and is not related to her current father." he informed.

"Gee, Genis. Did you start that rumor, too?" I said.

Genis blushed, which made me assume he did start it. "Sh-Shut up!" he shouted.

"Anyways," Lloyd began. "even if you're not related by blood, family is family... At least that's what I think." Genis then turned as red as a tomato. "I-I'm sorry." he apologized.

"Don't worry about it." he said. "Anyways, let's go." Then he turned to me. "Are you coming?"

"Colette's not here." I said. "You don't have to pretend to be nice to me."

"I wasn't pretending." he said.

I didn't believe him, but I put it aside for now. "No, I'm going to stay for a while."

"Suit yourself." Lloyd said. "Let's go Genis." Then they both went on the teleporter and left the room.

After being sure they were gone, I got closer to the altar and went on my knees. The I did something I never thought I would ever do again: I prayed. _'Please.' _I prayed. _'Is Colette the right Chosen? If so, send me a sign.'_ Shortly after I got up, I was knocked back by a blast of light.

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**A/N: Well, that's chapter 3 for ya. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Sorry again for doing this, but look on the bright side, new chapter right now. Yay! Anyways, since only one person answered my polls and I'm getting pretty impatient, I am NOT going to include skits. Plz review!**


	4. Proving Your Worth

**A/N: Well, here's chapter 4! I told you I was going to post it. Anyways, I don't own anything in this story except for my OC.**

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**Proving You're Worthy  
**

Okay, not exactly the sign I was expecting. I got up and took out my bow, scanning the room to see where the source of the spell came from. I finally look up to see Remiel again, but with an aggressive expression on his face.

"Are you Anthony?" he asked menacingly.

"Y-Yes." I stutter out.

"You are correct." Remiel said. "Colette is the Chosen you have been searching for all these years. But we of Cruxis feels you need to be challenged to see if you are worthy to travel with the Chosen on her Journey of World Regeneration. So they have sent me to fight you to test your strength." He took out his bow, which looked way more advanced than mine. "Are you ready?"

I got into a fighting position. "Yes." I told him. "Let us begin, then." he replied, and began to cast magic. I took out three arrows and took aim to him. _**"Dark Arrows!"**_I shouted, unleashing the arrows. The arrows turned into pure darkness and dug deep into the angel's chest. He let out a cry of pain, but quickly regained his posture. He pulled the arrows out his chest, leaving three very deep holes that were spewing blood on his robes. Soon, the holes began to close, leaving his skin unharmed.

"Foolish half-elf!" he shouted, "Do you really think you can defeat me that easily." He then cast Photon, engulfing me in blasts of light. I let out a cry of pain, cursing the angel. Once the light went away, I looked at my body. My clothes were slightly singed and parts of my skin were burned and raw, but otherwise I looked OK. I then began casting my own spell.

_**"O twisted door of distortion, open wide... Negative Gate!"**_A dark sphere of energy formed in front of him, sucking in the air around him like a black hole and, more importantly, hurting him. I couldn't help but smile at my success at significantly harming the angel. But soon I was crying in pain because he warped in front of me and shouted, _**"Judgement Ray!"**_A glyph of Cruxis emblems appeared underneath us and multiple lights of judgement rained down upon the glyph, most of them hitting me. I backed away from the angel, trying to put distance between me and him.

_**"Dark** **Arrows!"**_I shouted again, unleashing three more arrows of darkness at him. Unfortunately, he moved out of the way at the last second, making the arrows go in to the light, resulting in them disintegrating. I got real frustrated, so I began to heal myself. The burns were mostly gone, but I can still feel the pain. I began to shoot normal arrows at him, most of them hitting him, but not causing any significant damage.

"Inferior being!" Remiel spat. "You don't deserve to accompany the Chosen on her journey. Now you will never find your true purpose!"

That really set me off. I was getting real pissed off with this stupid angel. I took out more arrows, shooting him with more force. Many arrows struck more important organs, resulting in significant damage. By now he was wailing in pain, almost begging me to stop. Then I began casting. _'I'll give you something to beg about.' _I thought.

_**"O infinite galaxy, rain down with your celestial energy... Starstorm!"**_I shouted. The ceiling above us turned into a starry sky. Then, countless shooting stars the size of meteors began to strike the floor. They were cosmic white and radiated strong power. Many of the stars hit Remiel, while others mercifully struck the ground, making craters on the floor.

By now I was panting heavily, my mana drained. I was on the verge of collapsing. I haven't cast advanced tier spells in many years, so my mana was used to novice and intermediate magic; it hasn't adapted to stronger forms of magic. _'At least Remiel isn't in any shape to fight.' _I thought.

Boy, was I wrong. When the smoke cleared, I saw Remiel, unscathed. I stared at him, shocked. I couldn't believe he just fully healed himself! I was so frustrated with him, I wanted to use my mystic arte to finally destroy him, but I was too tired to even stand straight now. There was no way I would be able to defeat him in the condition I'm in now. I knelt in front of him and closed my eyes, waiting for him to finish me. He could try all he wants, but the worst he can do is put me in a coma for a long time. Then, he did the thing that I least expected him to do- he healed me.

"Congratulations!" he said. "You have proved your worth." I stared at him again in disbelief. "Wh-what are you talking about." I stuttered. Then I began shouting, "I THOUGHT THIS WAS A FIGHT TO THE DEATH!"

Remiel chuckled. "When did I ever say that?" he questioned.

He was right. He never said anything about a fight to the death. "I-I just assumed th-that's what y-y-you-" I stuttered stupidly.

He began to laugh at me. "Silly half-elf. You need to learn to listen better. I distinctively said 'A battle to test your strength_'_, not a fight to the death like you were expecting. Besides, you can't die, remember?"

He was right. Again. I can't die. No matter how hard I try to kill myself, I keep on living. "Hmm... That Summon Spirit, Ratatosk, was right about you." Remiel said, examining me. "You do have incredible power." He then began to fly back and forth, thinking. Finally, he said, "You have proved your strength to me. We of Cruxis will allow you to travel with the Chosen on her journey of World Regeneration. As long as you swear you will not interfere." He stuck out his hand in front of me. "Do you swear, on the life of the two worlds, you will not interfere with the Chosen's journey and not give any indication that there are two worlds, or else suffer the intense torture from the demons of Niflheim for eternity?"

I really had to think about this one. _'Is it really worth it?' _I thought. _'To let Colette risk her life for something that is only temporary, just to find my own purpose in life? She was my first friend in over an epoch, and she is also the only one who doesn't see me as a disgusting half-elf. To treat me as an equal.'_

Anxiety for my purpose in this eternal life took over me, and I shook his hand. "I swear." I said. As soon as those words left my mouth, I regretted them, but it was too late. A small Cruxis emblem surrounded our hands and then disappeared. He let go of my hand.

"Good." he said, pleased. "Now, we of Cruxis bestow upon you, _this_!" He raised his hands in the air and a shining, bright blue sphere began to slowly descend and landed in his hands. The light disappeared when it made contact with his hands. I looked in his hand to see an amulet. It was a gold circle with a dark blue star glyph in the middle.

"What's this for?" I asked.

"This amulet will allow you to absorb mana from the Summon Spirits you encounter, and allow it to adjust to your mana signature." He put the amulet on me. "Defeat the 8 elemental Summon Spirits." he instructed. "If you manage to defeat them, they will strengthen your mana and grant you new powers. If you defeat them all, you will find your true purpose in your eternal life."

I held the amulet in my hand. It felt very smooth and warm against my skin. I then faced Remiel. "I accept this challenge." I said.

"Good." he aid. Was it just me, or did I see him smile evilly at me? "I wish you luck." He then he ascended to the ceiling and disappeared in a flash of light, leaving another trail of angel feathers behind.

I then just stood there, not moving an inch. _'This is it.' _I thought. _'I'm finally going to find my true purpose in life!' _After getting over my happiness, I stepped on to the teleporter, warped out of the altar and left the temple. It was already nighttime. By the time I made it to Iselia, I realized something important.

_'How am I going to get Kratos to let go with them?' _I thought. Kratos is obviously going to go with Colette, seeing as Phaidra's paying him to protect her. He will never let me go with them without a good reason Plus, he absolutely HATES my guts.

I decided to figure this out later. For now, I decided to go look for Colette. I went to her house,only to find Frank and Phaidra.

"Excuse me," I asked. "do you know where Colette is?"

"I believe she went with Kratos, Genis, and Raine to Lloyd's house." Phaidra replied.

"Thank you. " I said. I was beginning to leave until Frank said, "Wait!" I faced them again. "Thank you for accompanying the Chosen at the temple." he said.

"No need to thank me." I told them. "I was just trying to help."

Then I left and made my way to the Iselia Forest.

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**A/N: There you go. Sorry if the fight scene was pretty crappy. I couldn't really find any inspiration for it. Review plz!**


	5. Leaving Iselia

**A/N: Chapter 5 everyone! I own nothing mentioned in this except my OC**

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**Chapter 5: Leaving Iselia**

I made my way through the forest. A few small monsters attacked me, but other than that I made it to Lloyd's house smoothly. Dirk's house was a pretty impressive sight. It was two stories high and was surrounded by many trees. To my left was the grave of Lloyd's mother and to my right was where Noishe slept. I crossed the small bridge and accidentally bumped into Colette, making both of us fall.

"Are you OK?" Genis asked. "Yeah, I'm fine." I said. "Not you!" he shouted. "Colette!"

"Oh." I responded, feeling stupid. "Yes, I'm fine." she said. I got up then helped Colette up. "Thank you." she said.

"Where have you been all day?" Raine asked. "You weren't at the school or your house. I was getting really worried."

"I went with Colette to the temple." I told her. "When everyone else left the altar, I stayed behind."

"Really, because I was trying to go to the altar, but the teleporter that led to it was somehow sealed. Do you know why?"

This somehow surprised me. I guess when I was fighting Remiel, he sealed the teleporter so no one would interrupt. "No," I lied. "and I didn't seal it if that's what you're thinking."

Raine was still examining me, as if she was trying to mentally get the truth out of me. Finally she said, "Well, the reason we were looking for you was because Kratos wanted to tell you something." I faced Kratos. "What is it?" I asked.

"You're coming with us." he said. At this, Genis exploded. "WHY DOES HE GET TO GO!" he shouted.

"I sense he has... potential." was Kratos' only response. Genis began muttering things like, "Completely unfair." and, "I have potential too." and a few choice words about my parents.

I was slightly shocked, but I got over it. At first, I was a little confused why Kratos would suddenly let me accompany them, but then I realized why. _'Cruxis must have put him up to this.'_ I thought.

"Guys," Colette said. "listen." We stood there, silent. Then we finally heard what Colette was talking about.

"Don't get involved with the Desians!" the voice of Dirk shouted. "You're mother protected you and that Exsphere with her life! Don't go throwing either away."

"It sounds like they're in a middle of an argument." I said.

"So will you make me the Key Crest?" Lloyd's voice asked.

"What is he talking about?" Colette asked.

"O-Oh, w-well me and Lloyd w-went to th-the ranch." Genis stuttered out. "W-we met a-an old woman w-with an Exsphere w-without a Key Crest. S-so I asked L-Loyd t-to-"

"OK Genis. Don't hurt yourself." I said. Genis began to blush crimson.

"Sh-Shut up!" he shouted again. "I see," Raine said. "so you were trying to help a Desian victim. As foolish as that was, I see your reasons. Therefore, I won't punish you two."

Genis sighed in relief.

"Maybe." Raine added teasingly. Then Genis shuddered, imagining what punishments may or may not be in store for him.

"Lloyd!" Dirk's voice shouted. "have you been listening to me at all?"

"Yeah, I heard you!" Lloyd's voice shouted back. "But you can't expect me not to do anything now that I know!" Then we heard the sound of Lloyd's body colliding against the door. "You don't have to hit me!" he shouted angrily. He then opened the door and ran outside. "Oh," he said, embarrassed. "Let me guess... you heard that, didn't you."

We all nodded our heads. He then turned to me, and his expression hardened. He ran up to me and punched me in the nose. "You bastard!" he shouted, his voice filled with rage. "Lloyd!" Raine scolded. "What has gotten in to you?"

"The Desians, his kind, killed my mom!" he shouted. "I will never forgive you for that!" My nose was throbbing in pain, but I ignored that. Lloyd basically punched me and blamed me for something I didn't do. That's what I can't stand about people. Blaming me for other people's actions, especially if the reason is because of my race.

"Hold up," I began. "Are you blaming me for something other people did? Just because we're the same race?" My temper rose again. "My parents were killed by humans for giving birth for me when I was a baby! Yet do you see me blaming every single human for something that happened a long time ago?!" I was practically yelling at him now. "IT ISN'T FAIR TO BLAME SOMEONE FOR SOMETHING OTHERS DID!"

"That's enough, both of you!" Raine shouted. "Now Lloyd, apologize to him! You mustn't forget that some humans are Desians as well."

Lloyd was still shocked at me yelling at him, but soon got over it and then faced me, glaring. After a while, he muttered, "I'm sorry."

"That's better." she said. Then she faced me. "And you. You need to calm down. I'm sorry your parents died, but you just can't explode like that."

"OK." I said. "Sorry."

"I'm sorry Lloyd." Genis said. "Because of me all this happened. If only I didn't take you to the ranch."

"Don't worry about it." Lloyd said. "It's not your fault." he then glared at me. "Eventually I would've found out."

"Please stop fighting." Colette pleaded. "We're all friends here. You shouldn't fight."

"I'm leaving." I said, staring at Lloyd and Genis. "I can't stand these two." Before I left, Raine pulled me aside. "We're leaving tomorrow morning." she whispered.

"OK." I whispered back. "Why are we whispering?"

"Knowing Lloyd, he's going to try to follow us." she said. "So I told Colette to tell him the wrong time so he won't follow. She left a letter with her father explaining why we did this. Hopefully he won't come at all."

"OK then." I said. "I'll see you tomorrow morning." Before I left, she stopped me. "Wait. Let me fix your nose first." She took out her rod and began to heal me. Instantly, the pain went away, and me nose was fixed.

"Thanks." I said. Then I left Dirk's house and went my way deeper into the forest. Soon, I got to a clearing with a burned down cabin that I called home. The cabin was charred in many areas, but the roof was still intact it, blocking out the rain. And it still looked like it's able to support a family of four, so I started living there.

I went inside and took out my schoolbag. I emptied the contents on to my bed. Books, pencils, and pieces of paper came pouring out of it. Once I put everything away in the desk next to my bed, I began to put take necessities for my journey. I took out my bow, some Gald, gels, Life Bottles, and spare clothes and laid them on my bed. Very carefully, I put them in the bag, one by one.

The schoolbag was one of the many useful things I found in this cabin. I'm guessing the previous owner of this cabin was an inventor, because this schoolbag was able to carry many items, big or small. From gels to weapons, it was able to carry many things without ever adding weight to it. The fact that it is also hard for people to tell that it can carry heavy objects made it very valuable to me._'I just hope the inventor made the bag indestructible.' _I thought.

I also put my sketchbook in the bag in case I get bored. Finally, I put my two most valuable objects in.

The first was a doll that I had since I was a baby. From what I know, my mother made it for me and gave it to me for my first birthday. Sure, it was very creepy looking, and the fact that my mom was going crazy since her first husband died, and I was getting too old to be sleeping with a doll (Not that I sleep with it.), but it had sentimental value to me, so I kept it safe with me at all times.

The second was an ocarina made from a dragon's skull. I got this on my 13th birthday, before I died. I painted it black, and even up til now, the paint had never peeled.

I then put the bag on my desk and got ready to go to bed. I pulled the covers over my body and slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_It was the first day of school in Heimdall. Like the rest of the six-year-olds, I was very nervous and on the verge of tears since Aggie left. It would have been extra tough for me since I was the only half-elf in this village, and they were hated for sharing the same blood as those barbaric humans. The teacher began assigning desks to us. Her name was Ms. Furie. She wore the clothes of a businesswoman, as if she would rather do something better than teach first graders. Her hair was gray and in a very tight bun. Her face was stern, and her voice was strict._

_"Listen up, you little maggots!" she barked as soon as she had everyone seated. "I am Ms. Furie. I will be your teacher for the first grade. I will prepare you for the rest of the years to come. You shall learn the basics of magic and the significance of mana in the way your tiny little brains would understand. There will be no talking unless you are spoken to. No eating in the classroom. And absolutely no using magic inside the classroom." She then locked her gaze on me, glaring. She then came marching towards me._

_"So you're the half-elf, aren't you!" she spat. "Y-Yes!" I squeaked. Then I accidentally cast Fire Ball and it hit the teacher, burning her hair off. She reached for her scalp, feeling no hair. The whole classroom erupted in laughter. She then started yelling, "WHAT DID I JUST SAY ABOUT NO MAGIC!"_

_"B-But it was an accident." I said. "My sister told me when you're young, you're mana isn't stable. So every time we get scared, we cast magic on accident"_

_"WELL YOUR SISTER IS A TWIT!" she shouted. Then she smiled evilly. "Now you must be punished!" Then she picked me up and started spanking me. I was crying loudly and begging for her to stop, but she continued spanking me, harder and harder with my every plead. She continued doing this until recess, not teaching us at all. by the time she stopped, my bottom was sore and my eyes were extremely red and puffy from crying. All the other kids were teasing and laughing at me when we went outside. Still crying, I ran to the most isolated tree and climbed it. I spent the whole recess up there, crying. I made no attempt to stop. _

_"Are you OK?" a voice asked. I looked down from the tree. It was a girl, about my age. She had blonde hair and bright, green eyes. She wore a white dress with black leggings and a necklace crafted from what looked like mythril, a rare and valuable metal._

_"What do you want?" I asked, my voice full of fear. "Don't worry." she said in her soothing voice. "I won't hurt you." she then began climbing the tree and sat next to me on the branch. I scooted away as far as I can. "Y-Yes you will! You want to punish me too for using magic. Go away!"_

_She kept her distance, knowing how scared I was."Actually, I think what you did was brave." she admitted. I stared at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?" I asked._

_"Well, the way you just used magic on that meanie teacher's hair. I don't think anyone in the classroom would have done that." I blushed. "N-No. I did that on accident"_

_She shook her head. "No. My Daddy said that even if you cast magic on accident, you want it to happen."_

_"I never knew that. Who's your dad?" She didn't answer for a moment. Finally, she muttered, "My Daddy is, the Elf Elder."_

_"Oh." I said. "Yes." she replied. "Everyone always treat me different too. They act like I'm a princess and are afraid of me because I might tell my Daddy to make them go away."_

_"Well, I don't think you're different than anyone else." I said. "I think you're like the rest of them. The only difference is that you're the first one to ever be nice to me besides my sister." She then began to blush. "Who's your sister?" she asked. "Her name is Aggie." I replied. "She works as one of the healers for your father."_

_"Oh, I know her!" she exclaimed. "She fixed my leg when I fell off a tree. I like her. She 's very nice." _

_"Yeah." I said. "She knows how to calm even the most biggest and scariest monster." _'This girl is very nice.'_ I thought. I scooted next to her._

_"My name is Anthony." I said. "What's yours?" _

_"My name is Evelyn." she said. "Wanna be friends?" I asked. "Sure!" she said happily. We both smiled, then we spent the rest of recess in the tree._

* * *

I woke up with a gasp, drenched in sweat. My eyes were slightly wet from the small tears that had escaped in my sleep. I hated it when I had dreams like that. Dreams that involved the memories from my past. It was just too painful to relive those moments. No matter how hard I try, I just can't erase them from my mind. I looked out the window. The sun was barely rising. I decided to get ready before I left. I took a shower in the lake. The water was cool and refreshing, and helped me calm down from the "nightmare." Then I got dressed and headed back to the cabin. I grabbed my schoolbag. I was about to leave until something shiny caught my eye. The source of the shiny object was between the cracks of the floorboard. I tore them apart and grabbed it.

It was a sapphire. It was ice blue and it sparkled in the light. It was very beautiful. Very beautiful indeed. _'It's SO shiny!' _I thought. I had spent a great amount of time just staring at the jewel, holding it in the sunlight to make it sparkle more. Unfortunately, I lost track of time, and before I realized it, the morning sun had fully risen. I stuffed the sapphire in the pocket of my sweater and sprinted towards Iselia.

* * *

By the time I got to Iselia, Colette and the others were already at the gates.

"You're late." Kratos said. "Sorry." I said, panting. "I sorta lost track of time."

"Is that all you're bringing?" Raine asked, glancing at my single, small schoolbag. "Yeah," I replied. "But you know what they say. 'Don't judge a book by it's cover.'" Raine was examining my bag, as if trying to decipher the meaning of my words. Before she could say anything, Colette said, "Are we ready to go?"

"Yes," Kratos said. "We should go now, before Lloyd gets here." We were about to leave, but a rock hit my head hard and I fell. I got up and felt a huge lump where the rock hit me. I turned around, ready to annihilate the person who threw it.

It was Genis. He still looked mad, but he was smiling happily. "Good-bye Colette." he said. "Why the hell did you throw that at me, Genis!" I shouted. The lump was throbbing in pain, but I ignored it, my anger taking control over me. Raine began healing me. "Yes Genis, why?" she asked. "Was that really necessary?"

"No," he said, still smiling. "but who cares now. It was already done."

"Why are you so happy?" I asked. "I thought you were mad."

"Oh, I am." he replied. "But I realized that you'll probably die on the journey, so I have my fingers crossed for that."

"Please, stop fighting." Colette pleaded. "Why can't you two be friends? There really is no reason for you to fight."

"I have my reasons, Colette." Genis said. "I'd rather die and go to Hell before I become friends with him."

"That can be arranged!" I yelled threateningly.

"Enough, both of you!" Raine said. "You're both acting like babies." The lump was gone, but I was still able to feel the pain. "Are you two done?" Kratos asked nonchalantly. "We should be going now."

I was still very angry, but Kratos was right. I glared at Genis one last time before walking away from the village. _'This is it.' _I thought. _'The purpose of this curse will finally be revealed.'_

* * *

**A/N: That was chapter 5 for ya! For the doll, just imagine Arietta's doll. I would've provided a better description but... I got nothing. Oh yeah, and please review. So far, all I have is one. I want to know if you guys actually like this story and how it's turning out. Please review. Support, criticism, flames. I don't care. I'M DESPERATE!**

**Anyways, with that aside, I hope you liked it! :D**


	6. Rescuing Lloyd

**A/****N: Hello my people! Sorry it's been a while since I last updated. My laptop messed up and finally got it back a few weeks ago. To make it up to you, I decided to make this chapter very long. Hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Rescuing Lloyd**

For about half an hour, we traveled by foot to our first destination: Triet. We didn't speak much; the incident in Iselia was still fresh in our minds. We made a quick stop at the House of Salvation for directions to Triet. Soon, after an hour of peaecful traveling, monsters started attacking us.

This particular group of monsters consisted of two hawks, two wolves, and a rabbit. Raine went behind us and began casting support spells on each of us while Colette went for the hawks and Kratos went for a wolf. I began shooting arrows at the rabbit. The arrows penetrated the rabbit and stuck to a nearby tree. Colette had managed to take out the hawks with a few **_"Pow_ _Hammers"_**, and Kratos took out the wolf with no problem at all. I then notched an arrow and took aim at the remaining wolf. We stood there for a while, staring daggers at each other. I never let go of the arrow, though. I just couldn't bring myself to kill the wolf.

The wolf must have sensed this, because it lowered it's guard. It still glared at me, but with a mocking expression. I put the arrow back in my quiver and just stood there. _'I can't kill him.' _I thought. _'They just remind me too much of-' _

My thoughts were cut of when Kratos sliced the wolf in half. I stared at him with disbelief and anger. "Wh-Why did you that to the monster!" I shouted.

"Because it was a monster." he replied simply. "And it was attacking us. You expect me to spare it?"

I was still very angry with him, but getting angry over the loss of a monster is making me look pretty weird in front of everyone, so I decided to put aside my anger for now. "We should be going." I said as calmly as I can. We then began traveling in silence again.

Soon enough, we reached the desert. The intense heat of the sun hit us hard and was burning the back of my neck. It was like being in the fiery pits of Hell. Maybe even worse.

"We should be reaching Triet soon." Kratos informed. He was right, as usual. It may have been my imagination, but I heard the sound of civilization not too far from where we were. After a few more minutes, we reached the desert oasis, Triet.

_'This place has certainly changed.' _I thought. It seemed to be a lot more livelier than the last time I was here. To our left were the shops, selling weapons, armor, and a variety of other useful items and to our right was the inn. Straight ahead was the Katz' Guild, an organization that goes on expeditions around specific areas and report what they find. For some reason, I always found them to be quite annoying.

"Wow!" Colette exclaimed. "Triet is so amazing!"

"I must agree." Raine said. "It's been a long time since I last been here."

"We should go buy some supplies." Kratos said in his usual serious tone, being the only one who sounded uninterested in Triet.

"You sure know how to suck the fun out of everything." I commented. Kratos gave me another death glare and tightly gripped the hilt of his sword. I prepared to get my bow, but Colette stepped in.

"Please don't fight!" Colette pleaded. "We're all going to be on this trip, so I want it to be fun. So I need you two to be friends!" She smiled. "Will you please do that for me?"

Kratos stopped glaring at me and loosened the grip on his sword, then faced Colette. "As you wish, Chosen One."

Then she smiled happily. "Good!" she chirped, then skipped towards the shops.

"Kiss up." I muttered. Luckily for me, Kratos didn't have enough time to respond, because a loud _CRASH! _caused us all to turn to see where the noise came from.

It was Colette. She must have tripped and and fell through a shop wall.

"Now look what you've done, you stupid girl!" the shop owner shouted. "First the Desians come and destroy my friend's shop, and now you come along and imprint yourself on my wall!"

We all rushed to the shop. "Are you OK?" I asked her. Colette stood up in the rubble of her mess. "Y-Yes." she said.

"What seems to be the problem?" Raine asked.

"Well, this blonde bimbo decided she wanted to create a life-sized hole on my wall!" the man answered angrily.

"Chosen, can you apologize to this man." Kratos said. The shop owner's eyes widened.

"Th-This girl is the Ch-Chosen!?" the man stuttered. "Yes." Colette said. "I'm sorry about your wall."

"N-No!" the man cried out in a panicked tone. "I-I'm sorry I yelled at you. You have my deepest apologies"

"Don't worry about it." she said. "Here, I'll help you fix your wall."

"N-No!" he said. "It's OK. Really! Now that I think about it, this could become a famous tourist attraction. _'The Shape of the Chosen' _I can see it now." He smiled dreamily before he looked at us again. "Please, take what you want. No charge!"

I rolled my eyes. Sure, it was nice getting free supplies, but this guy was getting excited over a hole in his wall. After giving us Life Bottles, a few Gels, and Panacea Bottles, I stored them in my bag. After apologizing once more, we left.

"How can your bag hold all this stuff?" Raine asked.

"I don't know." I answered truthfully. "Really, I don't know. I found this bag in the cabin when I first moved in."

"Well, I hope I get a chance to study it soon, but at least we know we can rely on it."

"What should we do now?" Colette asked. "We should ask around." Kratos said. "See if anyone knows where the Seal of Fire is."

"Perhaps we should ask the fortune teller." Raine suggested. "She may be a little more accurate than anyone else in this town."

"You believe in fortune telling, Raine?" I asked. "N-No." she replied, blushing, indicating that she was lying. "I'm hust saying she may be more accurate than anyone else."

"There's a fortune teller!" Colette shouted excitedly. "Yes." I said. "She should be straight-" Before I could finish my sentence, Colette ran towards the direction I was pointing. "Ahead. Boy, she sure is excited."

We ran and caught up with Colette, who was standing outside the fortune teller's tent. "Come on!" Colette said excitedly. "Let's go inside already!"

I sighed. _'This is going to be a VERY long journey.' _I thought. We all went inside after Colette. The tent was very small, o naturally, we were all very cramped.

"Welcome!" the fortune teller said mysteriously. "I was expecting you."

"Wow!" Colette said, amazed. "You really can predict the future!"

_'You're so gullible, Colette.' _I thought. The fortune teller chuckled. "Of course I can! I am a fortune teller, after all. How may I be of service?"

"We are looking for the Seal of Fire." Kratos said. "We are the Chosen's group."

"You're the Chosen's group?" she said, hiding her shock. "Of course! I've been expecting 't worry about this. This shall be free of charge! 3"

"This lady is really nice!" Colette said. "And she saw us coming, too!"

_'Seriously, Colette.' _I thought. The fortune teller put her hands over her crystal ball and began chanting random gibberish. Colette, being the natural airhead she is, was very amazed at this and thought it was all real. The fortune teller raised her hands and stopped chanting.

"I see... the Triet Ruins..." she said mystically. "It... seems to radiate... immense power..." She put her hands down. "That's all the crystal ball told me."

"Thank you." Raine said. "Let's go, everyone." We exited the tent.

"So we're going to go to the Triet Ruins?" I asked.

"Yes." Kratos answered. "If what the fortune teller said was true, then we should head north of Triet."

We left Triet and headed towards the Triet Ruins. A few Sidewinders, Scorpions, and Thieves attacked us, but otherwise we made it to the ruins unscathed. Unfortunately, a sandstorm was occurring.

"Is it always like this?" Colette asked.

"No." Kratos said. ""It's just a sandstorm. This happens often."

"Perhaps we should go back to Triet and rest for the night." Raine suggested. "It looks like this sandstorm is going to be here for a while." We began to make our way back to Triet, but then I heard something. "Do you guys hear that?" I asked.

"I don't hear anything." Raine said.

Colette strained her ears, but heard nothing. "Me neither."

"It may be just your imagination." Kratos said. "We should get to Triet soon. The heat may be getting to you."

"I'm NOT going crazy!" I shouted at him. "I swear, I hear a barking noise." I know Kratos can hear it too; he has angel senses, for crying out loud! He's just trying to make me look crazy.

The barking sound got closer, and as it did Colette and Raine started to hear it. "I can hear it now." Colette said.

"So can I," Raine said. "but how were you able to hear it before us?"

"Umm... my elf ears?" I answered. She didn't seem to believe me; she has ears like mine too. But the barking sound was only a few feet away, so we went to investigate.

It was Noishe, with Genis right behind him. "I knew you would be out here!" he exclaimed. "You have to help Lloyd! He's been kidnapped by Desians!"

"Lloyd's been kidnapped!" Colette said, worried. "We've got to help him!"

"He's not of our concern." Kratos said. "Right now we must focus on opening the seals." Kratos did seem a little worried, though.

"Why not?" I asked. "There's a sandstorm near the Seal, and it looks like it won't go down until tomorrow. We have enough supplies and it isn't dark yet, so we may as well."

Genis glanced at me with a shocked look on his face. "You're still alive!" he shouted angrily.

"Of course I am." I said coolly. "It's only been a few hours. Besides-" I added teasingly. "Kratos said I have _potential,_ remember."

I began to laugh, enjoying Genis' blushing face and infuriated look.

"Will you both stop you're pointless arguing!" Raine scolded. "Right now, we should go rescue Lloyd. I'll decide what to do with you two later."

Genis' infuriated look turned into a look of fear. "Y-You're not going to p-punish us, r-right?" he asked timidly.

"I just said I'll think about it." she said. "Where is their base?"

Genis regained his posture. "It's just south of Triet. Come on! We have to hurry!" He then ran back from the direction he came, followed by Noishe and Colette. We all watched as they got further and further away.

Raine sighed. "Those two really need to learn how to think things through."

"Tell me about it." I agree. "And I thought Genis was supposed to be smart." But nevertheless, we followed him to the Desian base. Soon enough, we reached it.

_'Wait a minute.' _I thought. _'This isn't a Desian base.'_ This base seemed more futuristic and WAY more advanced than a Desian base would ever be. But two Desians were guarding the entrance, which must mean it should be a Desian base.

Unless...

_'Stop thinking about it!'_ I scolded myself. _'You don't have time for that!'_

"So what should we do?" Genis asked, desperate to save his best friend.

"Well, right know we should knock out those guards." I suggested. "Why not just kill them?" he asked darkly.

"How could you say something like that!" Raine scolded.

"Yeah!" I shouted. "Desian or not, they don't deserve to just die!"

"Anthony's right." Colette said. "Please, don't say something so selfless like that ever again."

"OK! OK!" Genis said, annoyed. "I'll try not to."

"So we're going to knock them out." Kratos asked nonchalantly. "I see why not." Raine replied.

"OK then." I said. "Wait here."

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Genis asked, but it was already too late to stop me. I was already cautiously proceeding towards the two guards. I had to be very careful; the guards weren't really paying attention and weren't doing their job, but that won't stop them from hearing me. Silently, I approached one of the guards from the side. He had his back turned to me and was talking to the other guard, so he didn't see or hear me coming. Then I quickly ran to the closest Desian and grabbed his neck. He was surprised, and didn't have time to react to my sudden move. I searched his neck rapidly, looking for a pressure point. Once I located it and squeezed hard, and the guard fell limp to the ground.

The other guard was surprised, but then grabbed his whip. "What the hell do you think you're doing, kid!" he snarled. I remained silent and went for him. He then started to whip me, and with only my arms to block the blows, I shielded myself, feeling the sting of the whip's blows through my sweater. Once I couldn't take it any longer, I took out my bow and shielded myself with it, allowing me to get closer to the guard. Once I got closer, I reached for his neck, but with his spare hand he grabbed my wrist.

"You think I'm going to fall for that, kid!" he hissed. I tried to break free from his grasp, but he had a firm grip on my wrist. I dropped my bow and used both hands, but my attempts were in vain. Noticing I lowered my guard, he proceeded to whip me, and once again I felt the pain of the whip. I was trying to think of a way, any way to make him let go of my wrist.

I then had an idea. Focusing my energy on my foot, I kicked the guard in the balls. Hard. The guard screamed out in pain and let go of me and his whip, clutching his crotch. I then grabbed his neck and did the same thing I did to the previous guard, and then he slumped to the floor.

The others came to me, all but Kratos with shocked expressions.

"Thanks for your help." I said, panting. That last Desian had really tired me out.

"Well, you told us to stay put." Genis said. I glared at him. "Shut up!"

"Well, that's one problem solved." Kratos said. "How are we going to open this door, though?"

We all stared at the door. "Any suggestions?" I asked.

Raine went up to the door and examined it. "Search the Desians and see if they have a card key." she said, indicating towards the door. "It seems that this door requires one to open it."

Kratos and I searched the Desians, but didn't find a card key. "How reckless." I said. "How did they expect to get back inside?"

"Perhaps they only go in until the next set of guards take their shifts." Raine said.

"Now what are we going to do?" Genis complained. "We still have to save Lloyd!"

"Calm down, Genis." Raine told him. "We'll save him."

"But how are we going to get in?" Colette asked, also worried for her friend's safety.

"I knew we shouldn't have come." Genis said. "If only I hadn't taken Lloyd to the ranch, none of this would've happened."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "It's not like you were forced to come here, right?" Genis tensed up at my words.

"Genis..." Raine began. "Why exactly... are you and Lloyd here?"

"So we can help Colette regenerate the world." he said a little too quickly. I stared at him for a while. "You're lying."

He glared at me. "No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!" I shot back. "I could tell. You're sweating a lot."

"That's because it's so hot!" he said. "What do you expect?"

"So?" I said. "You're sweating way more than all of us combined. You're practically drenched in your own sweat." Genis looked at myself, finding my words true. His clothes were very damp and his forehead was shining with sweat. "Just tell us what happened."

Genis gave in with a sigh. "Fine. The Desians had attacked the village and released a monster to fight Lloyd and I." He paused for a moment and then sighed. "After the fight, we found out that the monster was actually Marble, and she died to save us." He looked at his right hand and then tears escaped his eyes. There was an Exsphere on it, and it must have belonged to Marble.

"Lloyd and I were exiled," he continued. "and then we came to look for you guys so we can help Colette regenerate the world."

"Don't worry Genis." Colette sympathized. "We'll rescue Lloyd. Let's just try to get through this door first."

"But how?" he asked. "It's locked."

"Can I see the lock, Raine?" I asked. Raine gave me look. "S-Sure, I guess." She stepped aside and I went to examine it. The lock seemed very advanced, made from magitechnology. I then examined the door. It seemed to be made of thick iron and imbued with magitechnology to respond to the lock, which also gave it it's sky blue color. I was trying to think of a way to open it, and soon I had an idea. I rummaged through my bag and took out a few Life Bottles and Snake Venom from the Sidewinders we encountered earlier. I then carefully combined the two liquids, being extra careful with the venom so it doesn't burn me.

"What do you think you're doing?" Genis asked suspiciously. "You'll see." I replied, smiling.

After thoroughly mixing them together, I placed them along the door and splashed it on the lock. "You're wasting the Life Bottles!" he complained. "Calm down!" I shouted. "I'm pretty sure Lloyd has some too. And you do want to get to him, right?"

Genis does have a point though." Raine said. "What are you planning to do?"

I ignored her and backed up, so I won't get caught up in what I'm about to do. Once I felt I was in a safe distance, I said to Genis, "Cast Fire Ball."

"Why?" he asked.

"Just do it."

Genis, grumbling, began to cast. "You might want to duck." I told the other tw, and they did so.

_**"Fire** **Ball!"** _he shouted, releasing three balls of fire towards the door. As soon as the fireballs made contact with the door, The Life Bottles exploded, sending shards of the door hurtling in every direction. If I hadn't warned them beforehand, they would been hit by searing hot pieces of iron. Once the the shards have subsided, the others came to me, all but Kratos with shocked expressions again.

"H-How did you do that!" Genis said.

"Little known fact about Life Bottles," I explained. "They create massive explosions when combined with Snake Venom and set on fire. This method was used during the Ancient War to destroy bases and medical camps."

"How do you know all this?" Raine asked.

_'Shit!' _I thought. _'Why did I say that!'_

"i read it in a book." I lied. Raine didn't seem convinced, but then an alarm went off in the base, causing dozens of Desians to swarm to the entrance.

"Are you serious!" one Desian shouted.

"Yeah!" a second said. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to build this base!"

"Now what do we do!" Colette said worriedly.

"Just stand back." I told them. "I'll handle this." I then stepped closer to the Desians.

"Were you the one who did this?" the first Desian asked angrily.

"Yeah!" I answered. "What are you going to do about it!" Then, all at once, they charged towards me. Then I began casting again.

_**"Halt, o march of time!"**_

"Holy shit!" a Desian shouted.

"Is casting what I think he's casting?" another said.

"I'll go warn the boss." a third one said, and rushed back inside.

_**"Stop Flow!"**_I shouted. A small clock with numbers written in the angelic language slowly faded into view. After the hand spun around a few times, it finally fell on the 12, and the Desians were frozen in motion.

"What _was _that?!" Genis shouted.

"It was a spell, obviously." I replied, which caused Genis to blush. "Now let's hurry! It won't last forever and the ones inside probably know about us already." We all rushed inside the base, leaving the Desians outside frozen in time.

"I wonder where they're keeping Lloyd." Colette said.

"Well, knowing Lloyd, he's probably escaped," Raine said. "so he may have wandered off somewhere else to find the exit."

'Well, let's start our search." Kratos said stiffly.

_'I can't believe he could be so cold to Lloyd.'_ I thought, but I kept that to myself. I don't want to tell everyone his secret, in fear he might tell mine.

We began our search for Lloyd. Since there was no other doors in this hallway, so we went through the door straight ahead. Then we came to a room which seemed to be some type of control room. In the center, a huge cube-shaped object was rotating freely. On the left were a few switches that probably control the cube and on the right was a door. The whole room was covered in a green light.

We went for the door on the right, but it was locked.

"It's locked." Kratos said. I clenched my fists, getting ready to destroy Captain Obvious, but stopped when Colette said, "Look! There's another door."

We all looked at the direction Colette was pointing, and sure enough, there was a door. We went to that one, and it opened once we got closer.

"It seems like this one is open." Kratos said. I was about to give Kratos a good knock on the head, but when I saw him smiling, I realized he was doing it on purpose.

_'That jerk!' _I thought. _'He knows I hate that!'_

We went into the next room to find another hallway, this time splitting into different paths. We reached the part where the paths splits when we briefly saw three men rush into a room.

"Do you think Lloyd is in there?" Genis asked.

"Only one way to find out." I said. I approached the door and went inside to be standing behind the three people who went in earlier. It was the guy from the Martel Temple, Botta. Standing in front of him was Lloyd.

"Lloyd!" Genis exclaimed. "Are you OK?"

"Are you OK?" Colette questioned worriedly. "Are you hurt?"

"He looks fine." Kratos said, irritated, but looked relieved that he was OK.

Lloyd had his swords out, which were made of real steel instead of wood. "You guys all came for me?" he said, looking utterly touched.

"Perfect timing." Botta said. "I'll take care of everyone at once." He took out his huge red saber with an Exsphere imbued on the hilt. The other two Desians took out their swords and the three charged towards us.

"Get ready." Kratos said, unsheathing his sword. We all took out our weapons and got into a battle stance. Lloyd and Kratos went for Botta while Genis, Colette, and I focused on the two Desians.

_**"Ray Thrust!"**_Colette shouted, throwing one of her chakram at one of the Desians, knocking them in the head. Meanwhile, Genis went to a safe distance so he can cast.

_**"O maddening gala of the spirits of the earth... Stalagmite!"** _A huge stalagmite had formed under the other Desian and rose to the surface, causing heavy damage to him.

_**"Rock Breaker!"**_we heard Botta shout. I quickly glanced to in Botta's direction to see him drive his sword to the ground, causing rocks to stream from the earth, hitting Lloyd right in the face. He tried to shield himself with his sword, but reacted too slowly.

"Keep your guard up!" Kratos shouted at him. "Pay attention to the enemy! How do you expect to protect the Chosen with those sloppy sword skills!" Lloyd looked furious, and began to fight more efficiently, slashing at Botta rapidly, repeatedly using _**"Sword Rain!"**_and _**"Tiger Blade!"**_, trying to take him out quickly. That's when I realized that Kratos was provoking Lloyd on purpose.

I then brought my focus back to the Desian. As a notched an arrow, I knelt and grunted in pain.

"Are you OK?" Colette asked worriedly, which gave the Desian a chance to slash at her, cutting her on the arm. She squealed out in pain, but continued to fight, realizing she must focus on the fight.

I got back up and began casting a healing spell on her, since it was my fault she was injured. Casting it was a pain, but it had been successful, and in an instant, the cut on her arm faded away, and she was as good as new. I tried healing myself, but it was an even greater strain than healing someone else, so I stopped. Healing yourself is less effective than healing others, and it costs more mana to be equivalent to the amount of health another person would receive from a healing spell. Sure, group healing spells like Healing Circle and Revitalize will give you the same amount of health since they heal more than one person, but single healing spells don't do that and I don't know either one of those spells and dammit they require a large amount of mana since they are too advanced! If only I knew a different group healing spell that is novice tier.

Novice tier...

_'That's it!' _I thought. _'How could have I been so stupid!' _I then began casting.

_**"Let the sprites give grace..."**_Casting this spell was much easier than casting First Aid, and required less strain for me.

_**"Pixie Circle!"** _Two green, butterfly-like fairies appeared around me and spiraled upward, leaving behind a moderately large glyph patterned with leaf-like patterns and ancient runes. The glyph emitted a green, soothing, healing light.

Suddenly, I felt reinvigorated; the spell had healed me and the pain was gone. Then I realized that the other Desian was creeping up on Genis while he was casting. I notched an arrow then shot him straight in the heart, leaving to fall to the floor. Dead. I then turned around and shot the other Desian in the head, right between his eyes. Colette thought he was dead, so she left the Desian and went to go help Lloyd and Kratos fight Botta. I, however, went up to the Desian Colette just left.

He was still conscious, with the arrow stuck in his head. Every movement he made seemed to bring even more pain for him. I knelt down and then he looked at me.

"Please..." he croaked. "End me..." He coughed up blood, which splattered in my face. I grabbed an arrow from my quiver.

"I'm sorry it had to end like this." I whispered. Then I stabbed him in the head, until I was sure he was dead. Once I was done, I pulled out the arrow and cleaned them both off on the Desian's clothes, and wiped the blood on my face off on the sleeve of my sweater

_'I wish he didn't have to die like that.' _I thought. But it was too early to celebrate, because Botta was still fighting. Lloyd had fallen, so I went to him and pulled out a Life Bottle. Opening his mouth wide, I poured the bitter liquid into his mouth. He woke up with a cough and got up.

"Thanks." he said.

"Whatever." I replied. I was still angry with him about last night. "Just get back in the fight." Lloyd frowned, but went to go help Colette and Kratos. Even with all three of them, they were no match for Botta, who had reached his overlimit stage. Once someone is in their overlimit stage, they are almost impossible to harm until it has passed. Botta took this chance to start casting.

_**"Flame Lance!"**_he shouted. A large blade of fire fell from the sky and landed near Genis, then exploded shortly afterwards, causing a lot of damage to him. Kratos and I cast another healing spell on him while Colette and Lloyd continued attacking him. His overlimit stage had ended, so they were able to land heavy blows on him.

Finally, after much battling, Kratos slashed at Botta's saber, breaking it, leaving Botta only holding the hilt.

Botta grunted, tired from our battle. "I underestimated your abilities." he said to Kratos. He threw what remained of his sword to the ground and ran out through the other exit. Raine had come through the door we came from and picked up the broken sword with curiosity.

"Isn't this a..."

"Professor!" Lloyd exclaimed, happy to see all his friends(and me) had come to rescue him. I, however, was steamed.

Raine glanced at Lloyd. "Ah, Lloyd. Genis told me what happened." She then glanced at Genis. "I'm sorry for all the trouble he's caused you. But don't think you two are off the hook."

Lloyd looked frightened at the thought of being punished by Raine, but said, "No. I'm the one that dragged Genis into it. I'm sorry."

"Save the chitchat for later." Kratos said impatiently. "We shouldn't stay here long."

"You're right." Raine said. "I opened the escape route just now. Let's go." Then we left the base and made our way back to Triet.

When we got outside, we found Noishe waiting for us.

"You came too, Noishe!" Lloyd said happily. Noishe whined.

"I have a question." Raine said. "This crystalline object attached to this weapon-" she lifted the remains of the sword. "-is this one of the Exspheres Genis mentioned?"

Kratos examined the sword. "It would seem so." he answered.

"Oh yeah. You use an Exsphere too." Lloyd said, looking at his hand.

"So you noticed."

"Well, duh." Lloyd replied.

"What are they, exactly?" Raine asked.

"It will take a while to explain." Kratos told her. "We can talk about it when we reach Triet."

"Yeah." Lloyd said, anxious to learn more about these stones. "Come on Noishe! Let's go!" Then they both ran in the direction of Triet.

On the way back, I went up to Raine.

"And just where exactly have you been!" I asked angrily. "We could have used another healer in the battle, you know!"

"Well, if you must know, I decided to explore the base." she replied. "Magitechnology hasn't been used ever since the Ancient War, so it's no like you get to examine it everyday. Besides, you and Kratos know healing spells, so it's not like you didn't have any healers in the battle at all."

"Yeah." Genis interrupted. "Besides, you have that healing spell, Pixie Circle."

"Shut up Genis!" I snapped. "At least I didn't almost die!" Genis blushed.

"Pixie Circle? How do you know that spell?" she questioned. "It hasn't been used in over five millenniums."

I glared at Raine's younger sibling. "Thanks Genis." I told him sarcastically. Then I said to Raine, "I found it in a book." The lie didn't really sound very convincing, but I continued. "I found the book in the cabin I'm living in. I practiced it and finally mastered it. It's actually pretty useful, like all group healing spells."

Raine didn't seem to be it, but didn't say anything else on the matter. It was already nighttime by the time we reached Triet, so we went to the inn. After renting the rooms, we all went to the room Raine and Genis were going to stay so Kratos can talk about Exspheres. The explanation was extremely long and boring, so I tuned him out. Instead, I was more anxious about tomorrow, about what I'm supposed to do. Once I saw Kratos stop talking, I started to listen.

"In other words, these Exspheres are amplifiers that awaken your dormant capabilities." Raine summarized.

"Pretty much." I said. "Why didn't you just say that, Kratos." Kratos just stood there, silent.

Raine got a dreamy look on her face. "I wonder if I can use one, too?!~" Raine fantasized.

"That would be difficult." Kratos told her. "Exspheres are harmful to the body without a Key Crest."

"Umm... Can't we just make a Key Crest?" Colette asked.

"As I told you before," Kratos explained. "A Key Crest is made by processing inhibitor ore, then engraved with a crest to control the Exsphere attached to it's surface. It is said to be a secret art known only to the dwarfs."

"Yeah." Lloyd followed, finally reaching something of his expertise. "I can engrave that charm-er, crest, but only my dad can process the ore."

"Well, is there any inhibitor ore among these materials?" Raine asked, laying multiple ancient relics on the floor, caressing each and every one.

"Raine!" Genis said, shocked at his sister's craziness. "Did you bring all these things from our house?!"

"Of course." Raine said, as if this is normal. "They're valuable research materials." She then began displaying each one. "This is a holy vase from the Balacruf Mausoleum. This is a jeweled sword from the Martel Temple. This is a priest's crown from the Asgard ruins. This is yellow ore from the Hima mines..."

I was amazed at how she was able to obtain all this stuff. Lloyd, however, wasn't as impressed. "What the?... This is all junk!"

Raine stopped her explanations and got up, standing right in front of Lloyd. "What did you just say?!" she shouted. Lloyd realized his mistake and backed away.

Meanwhile, I spotted something shiny among Raine's "research". Kratos spotted it too, and picked it up.

"This is..."

Raine stopped yelling at Lloyd. "Ah, I picked that up in front of the human ranch." she explained. "It was engraved with angelic language, so I took it home."

Lloyd looked at the object. "Professor!" he exclaimed. "This is a Key Crest!"

"The Key Crest is half worn off." Kratos reported. "It's unusable like this." He handed it to Lloyd, letting him examine it more closely.

"I can fix it." he said. "Don't worry Professor, you'll be able to equip that Exsphere tomorrow."

"Really?!" she exclaimed, forgetting her anger towards him. "Thank you Lloyd! I'm sorry to make you go through the trouble, but I appreciate it." He then went downstairs to the other room so he can fix it in peace.

"What should we do now?" Colette asked.

"You should go get some rest." Raine said. Then she glanced at the bed where Genis was, who was fast asleep, snoring loudly. "You're going to need it for tomorrow."

"Yes, Professor" she said, then exited the room, leaving the three of us. Raine went to the desk took out a few research papers about monsters, while Kratos and I stood and watched.

"Anthony, you're going to be sleeping with Lloyd." Raine told me.

WHAT!?" I shouted, causing Genis to grunt. A faint blush was visible on my face "Why do I have to sleep with him?! And why did you say it like that?!"

"Because Kratos is going to be in Colette's room, since he's guarding her. Besides, you two need to make up. And I thought you would know what I meant when I said that."

I was so furious, I felt like screaming, but throwing a tantrum won't change anything. "Fine!" I finally said. I grabbed my bag. "I'm going for a walk." I then left the inn and headed towards the oasis. The oasis was very clean, despite all the sand flying around. I sat at the edge of the oasis, letting it's small waves calm me down. Suddenly, I remembered the sapphire in my pocket, so I took it out and held it in the moonlight. It sparkled and shined in the darkness, calming me down even more.

_'Well, it's not like we're going to be sleeping in the same bed.' _I thought, cringing at the thought.

After I put the sapphire back in the pocket, I looked at my reflection in the water, seeing a pale-face, red-eyed kid staring back at me. Then, for no reason, I started crying' letting all the stress and anger flow out of me.

"Are you OK?" a voice asked. I turned around, and saw Lloyd. Immediately, I wiped my tears on my sleeve and tried forcing myself to stop crying.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I lied. "What do you want?"

Lloyd didn't seem convinced, but said, "Kratos told me to come and get you."

"OK. Let's go." I said, heading back to the inn. Lloyd followed shortly afterwards. I went inside while Lloyd went to say goodnight to Noishe. I took out my sketchpad, a pencil, and an eraser from my bag then put it in the drawer next to the bad I was going to sleep in. I got on top of the bed and started to draw. I wasn't drawing anything in particular; just whatever cam to mind. While I was drawing, Lloyd came in.

"Are you sure you're OK?" he asked.

I ignored him.

"Why are you ignoring me?" he asked, confused.

Silence.

"Are you made at me?"

"Listen!" I snapped, getting irritated. "I'm not in the mood to talk to you. If you really want to know why, try remembering what you said yesterday!"

Lloyd racked his brains, trying to remember the past events, then he frowned. I sighed. "Never mind. I'm not going to sit here and watch you hurt yourself. I'm going to sleep." I put my stuff in the desk and pulled the covers over me. He probably thinks I'm crazy, sleeping with covers in the middle of the desert, but I was too angry to care. I turned away from Lloyd and heard him sigh.

"Listen," he said. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I overreacted. It's just that... my mom died in the hands of the Desians, and..." He stopped talking for a while, then spoke again. "I'll try to make it up to you. No matter what." I heard him drag himself to the other side of the room and get in his bed.

_'Poor Anna...' _I thought. Letting one last tear escape my eye, I slowly drifted off to sleep.

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**A/N: Well, there it is for ya! I hope you like it. This is probably the longest chapter so far. I hope you people like it, and please review!**

**Oh yeah! And if you're like me and go through other peoples' reviews, please ignore the ones by myself and Fever Time. I was experimenting. DON'T JUDGE ME!**


	7. Poor Anna

**A/N: Well, here I am, at about 3:00 A.M., posting a new chapter. I know: I'm crazy, but I couldn't sleep, so I thought: Why not?**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy!**

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**Chapter 7: Poor Anna**

_I was sitting on the couch of Anna's cabin. She had just moved in here a few months ago, hoping this place would keep her safe. The Desians, had been chasing her ever since she escaped the Asgard Human Ranch, trying to retrieve the Exsphere on her, which was part of the Angelus Project Kvar had been working on. Sure, the cabin was near the Iselia Human Ranch, but it was well hidden in the Iselia Forest, covered by a wall of tall trees. It wasn't really well protected, but it had Kratos and me, which is probably the best protection you could ever get in Sylvarant. With me going into town every once in a while to get food, Anna had no problem surviving out here._

_Suddenly, I heard the shrieking and giggling of Anna's child, Lloyd. He ran into the living room, shortly followed by Anna._

_"Thank you for coming to play with Lloyd, Anthony." Anna said._

_"Tony play!" Lloyd shouted, giggling. I cringed when he said my name._

_"What's wrong?" Anna asked._

_"Nothing." I answered. "It's just... I haven't been called Tony for a long time."_

_"Oh, I'm sorry."_

_"No, it's OK." I told her. "It's a nice change. Besides, I really need to stop living in the past."_

_"Come play!" Lloyd said, pulling my arm._

_"OK Lloyd." I said, laughing. "I'm coming." I got up and took Lloyd's hand, leading him outside._

_"What do you want to play?" I asked. Lloyd thought for a moment._

_"Swowd fight!" he finally said excitedly. I rolled my eyes._

'Like father like son...' _I thought. "OK then." I told him. "Let's go look for some swords." We searched around the cabin, then we finally found two small sticks for Lloyd and a medium-sized stick for me._

_"Ready?" I asked._

_"Yes!" he shouted excitedly. Then he ran towards me, slashing away. Since he wasn't that strong and they were sticks, they didn't actually hurt, but I pretended to grunt in pain and tried to defend myself with my stick. Eventually, I pretended to fall down to the floor, playing dead._

_"Yay I win!" Lloyd squealed. "I the best swowdsman ever!" Lloyd looked in my direction and frowned._

_"Tony?" he called. I stayed silent thinking we were still playing. I heard Lloyd run to me. "Tony?" he called again. I didn't answer. He knelt down and shook my shoulder. "Tony?" he called once more. I remained silent. Then he started to cry. I immediately got up and comforted Lloyd._

_"Lloyd, what's wrong?" I asked, hugging him, trying to calm him down._

_"I-I thought y-you died!" he sobbed. I stroked his head. "Don't worry." I said soothingly. "I'm still here... I'm still here..." We stayed there for a few minutes, until Lloyd had calmed down. He wiped the remaining of his tears on my sweater and I took him back inside._

_"What happened?" Anna asked, taking Lloyd in her arms. "Lloyd's eyes are red."_

_"He thought I was dead, so he started crying." I told her. Then I chuckled._

_"Why are you laughing?!" she asked angrily. "I don't see how this is funny!"_

_"Sorry. It's just... I never expected anyone to care if I died."_

_"How could you say that about yourself?" she asked._

_"Well... I'm a half-elf."_

_"That doesn't matter. You're still a human being." She wiped Lloyd's nose and released him, allowing him come back to me. "Kratos should be back any minute now. I'm going to start making dinner. You should stay over."_

_Before I had a chance to reply, we heard the door open. Kratos had rushed into the room, a look of panic on his face._

_"Anna! Take Lloyd and go!" he commanded. "Anthony! You stay here."_

_"Why?" Anna asked, going to her husband, trying to comfort him._

_"He knows you're here. He sent forces to come and take you back. He wants the only thing keeping him from proceeding on with his research."_

_"Kvar!" Anna and I said in unison. "How did he find her?" I asked._

_"I'm sorry. This is all my fault."_

_"What are you talking about?" she asked._

_"Yeah," I said. "weren't you supposed to be feeding the Desians false information about Anna's whereabouts?"_

_"Mithos tricked me into giving him Anna's real location." Kratos explained. "He told me he was going to keep her safe." he looked at Anna. "He was going to make sure that you and Lloyd will be safe. But he lied to me."_

_"No shit, Sherlock!" I shouted. "What would you expect from Mithos? He split the fucking world in half. He RUNS the Desians remember! You expect him to be truthful, especially when he's talking about Anna and her Exsphere!"_

_"Anthony, please calm down." Anna said. "You know Kratos didn't mean it."_

_"Whatever." I said, not looking at Kratos. "But we need to get you out of here. C'mon, take Lloyd and let's go."_

_"Wait Anthony!" Kratos ordered. "Stay here!"_

_"Why?" I asked. "Anna needs some protection."_

_"We'll send Noishe with her." he said. "Anna, take Lloyd and Noishe and get as far away from here as you can!"_

_"O-OK." she replied. She picked up Lloyd and went outside to get Noishe, leaving just me and Kratos._

_"What do you want?" I asked, angry he didn't let me go._

_"I need to tell you something." he answered._

_"No shit."_

_"Just listen!" he said sternly. "If anything happens to Anna, I want you to take care of Lloyd."_

_I stared at him, a shocked expression on my face. "What!"_

_"I said I want you to take care of Lloyd if something happens to Anna."_

_"B-But why me?!" I stuttered._

_"Because I know he'll be safe with you." he said._

_"No, he won't! Listen, Lloyd's like family to me. I really care for him. But I think he would be better off with someone from the village."_

_"I don't care! I want him to be with someone I can trust."_

_"Well, it doesn't matter! Nothing's going to happen to her!"_

_"But-" I was interrupted by an explosion that came from outside. "What was that?" I asked, tensed. We ran outside to see what it was._

_It was the Desians. They had found us, and were attacking the cabin. Fire magic was cast, leaving the building on fire._

_"Kratos!" I shouted. "Go and protect Anna! I'll hold them off."_

_"But-"_

_"Just go!" I interrupted. "I don't see Kvar anywhere. He's probably chasing Anna. Go! NOW!"_

_Kratos looked like he was about to say something, but stopped when he saw me glaring at him. He then went to go look for Anna._

_"OK you stupid Desians," I muttered. "time to die!" I then began to cast._

**"Radiance of night, shimmer and fall... Starlight!"(1)** _Dozens of shooting stars fell diagonally from the left and right, wiping out most of the Desians. But some still remained, casting magic or charging towards me._

_"I don't think so!" I shouted, preparing to cast another spell._

**"I, who stand in the full light of the heavens, call upon thee who will openeth the gates of Hell." **_A huge, purple glyph formed, covering the whole area. The Desians slashed, whipped, and shot arrows at me, but it was already too late to stop me. I recited the rest of the incantation. _**"Come forth, divine lightning!... Indignation!"(2)** _A single, massive bolt of lightning struck the middle of the glyph, creating a huge shock wave that destroyed everything inside the glyph. And I mean EVERYTHING. The grass had blackened and died. The trees were now burnt logs. The Desian bodies were badly charred and barely recognizable. Worst of all was the cabin._

_The cabin still stood, but was extremely charred and had pieces of it fallen off. The inside was even worse. Most of the furniture had disintegrated, and the ones that didn't were blackened with soot and smelled like an open flame. In this condition, no one would be able to live in it._

'I guess Anna's going to have to find a new place.' _I thought. _'Wait a minute- Anna!' _She could be dead, for all I know! I had no idea if Kratos had made it to her on time. Is she OK? Is she still alive? Oh my god, Lloyd! What happened to him? Did they both die? Did Kvar get to them? Are they-_

_I slapped myself. _'Snap out of it!' _I mentally shouted to myself. _'If you're so worried about them, go look for them!'_ I rushed in the direction Anna ran. The magic I had cast earlier had really drained my energy; I felt like I was going to pass out, but nevertheless, I kept on running. I was too worried about Anna and Lloyd's safety. I didn't care for my own health, as long as those two were safe._

_I ran until I found someone else. It was Kratos, and he was just standing there at the edge of a cliff._

_"Kratos!" I called. He looked in my direction, a look of sadness in his eyes. I ran up to him. "Kratos! Did you find them?"_

_He stood there, staring at me with his eyes full of sorrow. "You need to see something." he said quietly. I followed him to the edge of the cliff and saw a sight that utterly shocked and slightly disgusted me._

_There were Desians down there, except they've been partially eaten by monsters. One Desian had his head eaten, leaving blood leaking out of his neck. Another was torn limb from limb and his body parts have been partially eaten, his body parts scattered across the floor. Another had her chest torn apart, exposing her chewed up organs, which the monster must have spit back in. Another was still alive, with one arm and one leg torn off. She was losing a lot of blood, and was dragging her body across the woods, calling weakly for help, before another monster appeared and started to devour her, taking a big bite from her head, causing her to scream loudly._

_Suddenly, I felt dizzy. I collapsed, holding myself up with my hands and knees. I felt like puking, partially because of the scene I had just witnessed and partially because of my weakened state. The screams of the woman had finally stopped, indicating she had died._

_"What's wrong with you?" Kratos asked._

_"I wasted too much of my mana on the Desians a held back." I answered weakly. "I'm completely drained. That, or because of that fucked up scene you showed me."_

_"Aren't you used to seeing stuff like that?"_

_"Yeah, but it's been a long time since I saw something like that." I said, coughing. "I just need to rest a little. Why did you even show me that?"_

_Kratos remained silent for a minute. He then sighed. "I think... she and Lloyd... perished, in the hands of those monsters."_

_I got up quickly. "What!"_

_Anthony, please calm down." Kratos said. "You still need to rest."_

_"Fuck rest!" I shouted. "How could you just assume something like that!"_

_"Listen to me." Kratos commanded. "Kvar had reached Anna before me."_

_"How is that even possible!?" I said angrily. "You're half angel! Couldn't you have just flown to Anna, or at least reach her before him!"_

_"Let me finish!" he snapped. "Anyways, Kvar managed to take her Exsphere, transforming her into a monster."_

_"An Exbelua?" Kratos glared at me. "OK! Sorry."_

_"She was about to attack Lloyd. I had no choice but to... attack her. After I had, Kvar had attacked them, she, Lloyd, and Noishe fell off the cliff. I went after Kvar, but he escaped, and when I came back, I found... well, this."_

_"So, you just assumed that they're all dead and don't even bother to search?" I asked._

_"Anna was gravely injured. There's no possible way she would be able to escape the monsters, with our without Lloyd."_

_"What about Noishe?" I retaliated._

_"You know how much of a coward Noishe is." he followed up. "I can assume he would have run away once he sensed the monsters."_

_"Well, what if someone rescued the,?" I said, though I just sounded desperate._

_"Yes, someone just happened to be walking deep in the woods and had the strength to carry both Anna and Lloyd back to the village." Kratos said sarcastically. "Face it, kid. They're dead."_

_"Don't call me a kid!" I shouted. "I'm WAY older than you are!"_

_"Chronologically, perhaps, but physically, I'm older."_

_"I can still take you down!" I said threateningly. "You may be immortal as well, but that's because you're an angel. I can still kill you."_

_"In your weakened state?" he questioned._

_"I DON'T CARE! I don't care how long it take or how weak I am, I WILL kill you, you inconsiderate jerk!" I took my bow off of me and grabbed a few arrows from my quiver. Blinded by rage, a rapidly shot arrows at Kratos, who deflected them with his sword. I grabbed another arrow and ran up to him, attempting to stab him. He simply sidestepped, dodging my attack and leaving me at the edge of the cliff. He jabbed me with the butt of his sword, knocking the wind out of me and making me fall down the cliff. Luckily, I landed on a dead Desian, which broke my fall. Unfortunately, in the process, his blood had splattered on me._

_Kratos jumped down, landing gracefully. Kratos then started taking an offensive approach, skillfully slashing and thrusting at me. Only having my bow to protect me, I was between a rock and a hard place. Literally. Kratos had cornered me, leaving me trapped between him and a huge boulder that was behind me. I couldn't cast; Kratos knew how to break your concentration with just one, well-placed hit. I was thinking very hard, struggling to find a way to get the upper hand on him._

_Finally, I had an idea. Using one hand to protect myself, I put the fingers of my other hand to my mouth and whistled loudly. Thankfully, Kratos didn't seem to see the point in that, so he continued trying to pierce my defenses._

'Please, come quickly...' _I thought._

_As if on cue, we heard growling coming from the underbrush. Kratos slowly turned around, his sword still pointed towards me, just in case if I try to make a move. He slowly went away from me and headed towards the underbrush, allowing me to heal myself._

_Suddenly, a monster leaped from the underbrush, lunging towards Kratos. He managed to push the monster away, but unfortunately for him, it had bitten his sword arm, leaving him slightly weakened. Kratos got a better look of the monster, then smirked._

_"I see you called your friends." he said._

_The monster was a liger, the kings of the Beast family. The adult ligers generally had yellow fur with purple stripes. Their tails were long and a dark brown, with yellow tips. They had red fur that stuck up in the shape of a lightning bolt, indicating that they are Lightning-elemental monsters. They appear to have no pupils, but can see very well, as well as hear and smell._

_"Yup." I said proudly. "And more are on the way. Thanks for allowing me to heal myself. I feel MUCH better now!" After a few more seconds, three more ligers appeared, surrounding Kratos._

_"I hope you're ready to die." I said, notching an arrow. "You really deserve this, abandoning your wife and child; you're only family. You should have protected it with all your might. I would have done that. I would have done that with my family. My friends. Everyone I care about, I would do anything to protect them. Especially with how I am now. I'd at least be useful to the world."_

_As I released the arrow, Kratos allowed his aquamarine-colored wings to appear, which had temporarily stunned my liger friends and I. He flew into the air, dodging my arrow. He sheathed his sword and flew away silently, leaving a small trail of angel feathers behind._

**_"GET BACK HERE!"_**_ I shouted.** "YOU FUCKED-UP COWARDLY DOUCHEBAG!" **I knelt down and started to cry, my face covered in a mixture of tears and blood. One of my liger friends came up to me, trying to comfort me, licking my face. I pet his head. I buried my face in his fur, smearing the blood on to him._

_"Thank you." I told him. I then got on his back. "Please, take me to the village. I want to look for Lloyd." The liger obeyed._

_Monsters are able to understand human language; they just can't speak it, which is why humans can't understand monsters, except me. I think I'm the only person who can naturally understand monsters. I haven't met anyone else who can, so I consider myself the only one._

_"Wait." I said. "Take me to the cabin first. I want to get my stuff." The liger obeyed, and with a roar, we headed towards the ruins of the cabin. Ligers are incredibly fast creatures, so we were there in no time. I got off of him and patted his head, thanking him._

_"Wait here." I said. He obeyed, and lay down. I went into the cabin and searched for my_ _rucksack_**(3)**. _I finally found it under a charred bed. Luckily, it had survived, and so had his doll and ocarina. I exited the cabin and went to my liger friend._

_"OK then," I said, mounting him again. "Now take me to the village." He ran full speed. Although the trip was short, it still felt good to be traveling fast. It felt like I was running away from all my problems. I got off of him and said, "Stay out here. The villagers will try to kill you if they see you." He growled in response, which meant he'll stay in the forest until I come back._

_I went into the village, and started asking people if they've seen and baby and his wounded mother. I tried to hide my face with my hood, because I may come back here, and if I do, people may recognize me if I do. My search was unsuccessful, so I left the village and headed to the forest, where my liger friend was waiting. He made a series of growls, and once he had finished, I gasped._

_"You did?!" I asked frantically. He nodded his head. "Please, take me there then!" I quickly got on his back and he took me to a small house that was at the edge of the forest. I got off him and, after telling him to stay put, stealthily sneaked to the nearest window. I took a quick glance and saw a dwarf and a toddler with spiky brown hair._

'Lloyd!' _I thought. He was crying, probably because the dwarf looked scary to him. I scanned the room, but saw no sign of Anna. I looked around the house, searching for any sign of her. I found Noishe, who was curled up near a tree, fast asleep, but saw no Anna. I looked to my left, and saw something sticking out of the ground. I went to examine it, and gasped._

_It was a tombstone, and written on it was Anna's name. The grave seemed freshly dug, which means that she had died not too long ago. I knelt down and whispered, "Poor Anna..." I forced myself not to cry, but I couldn't, so I cried silently, so the dwarf won't hear me._

_"Poor Anna..."_

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**A/N: Pretty messed up stuff, right? This is actually pretty similar to one of my dreams.**

**(1): This spell is just Advanced-tier magic. Despite it being Amber Heart's mystic arte in _Tales of Graces, _it is going to be Advanced-tier in my fics. I have my reasons for this.**

**(2): Indignation is also just Advanced-tier magic, despite its incantation being Rita's translated version for the PS3 remake of _Tales of Vesperia _and the effect of it being similar to most of other Indignation mystic artes. I also have my reasons for this as well.**

**(3): Please know that this is just an ordinary rucksack. Not the magical one he currently owns.**

**Yes, I know: Ligers. I just LOVE those monsters. They're actually one of my favorites. I'll explain how they met in future chapters.**

**Well, we learned a little more about my OC, and why he hates Kratos. Will his dreams ever stop? Only one way to find out.**

**Also, there's a lot of stuff about me hidden in this chapter, too. If you can find any, leave it in the comments. If anyone who guesses at least two right, they win a lifetime supply of invisible cookies :D**

**So please review!**


	8. The Seal of Fire: Part 1

**A/N: Helloo, peoples! Sorry it's been a while, but school's being a bitch.**

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**Chapter 8: The Seal of Fire: Part 1**

I woke up with a gasp. I sat up in my bed, making the covers fall off of me in the process, and heard nothing but the loud, rapid beating of my heart and the extremely loud snoring of Lloyd.

_'Man!" _I thought. _'That kid can sleep!' _Isilently got off my bed and reached for my stuff. I assumed it was still dark out, since Lloyd was still asleep. It was pretty hard to tell since there were no windows in this room.

_'Then again, he could just be sleeping in.' _I rolled my eyes at the thought, seeing as I always wake up extremely early after one of my 'nightmares'. I silently walked past him, hearing him stir once but otherwise still fast asleep. I looked at him sleeping.

He had his jacket off, revealing his dark gray muscle shirt. He must have knocked the covers off of him, most likely because of the heat. He was snoring loudly, opening his mouth widely before closing it. _'In a way, he's actually kind of cute when he sleeps.'_**(1)**

I opened the door and closed it quietly, so I won't wake him up. I crept out of the inn and closed the door behind me, not making a sound. Once I was outside, I made my way to the oasis again. I sat at the edge, as I had last night. The nights were very warm in Triet, and are mostly quiet. No one else was outside.

_'Why do I keep having these dreams?' _Ever since I had died, every time I have a dream, it's always about something from my past. Whether it be the good memories or the bad ones, I consider these nightmares, since I just want to forget about it all. These dreams are the reason why I hate to sleep, but Ratatosk never gave me insomnia with my immortality, so I have to fall asleep eventually.

_'Stupid Summon Spirit!' _I thought bitterly. _'Why the fuck did you have to curse me!'_ The way he described it was a 'gift', but it has never benefitted me. All it brought was pain and suffering and had caused me to try suicide multiple times, each ending unsuccessfully. So I called it a curse.

I took out my ocarina. Softly, I played the lullaby my sister taught me**(2)**.

_'And I wonder why I can't let go of the past.' _I thought. _'I'm always doing things that I did back then. Well, I guess it's inevitable; it's not like I can stop.'_ Suddenly, I dropped my ocarina. A burning sensation came from the palm of my hand. I looked at it and saw a Cruxis emblem flash on it. I scooped up my ocarina and got up, feeling very alert all of a sudden.

A large, bright light descended from the sky, hovering over the lake. The light then faded away, revealing Remiel.

"Are you ready for the task ahead of you?" he asked. I nodded my head. "You know what you must do?"

"Not exactly." I replied. He sighed. "And to think I thought you were intelligent."

"What's that supposed to mean!" I yelled. "You didn't exactly tell me what to do."

"Calm down." He said. "You don't want to wake up everyone in Triet, right?" I silenced, but I was still steamed.

"Now here is what you must do." he instructed. "Once the Chosen has released the Seal, come back to the altar alone, and face the Summon Spirit in battle. If you defeat it, the Summon Spirit shall grant you its mana. The amulet-" He pointed towards the amulet hidden under my clothes. "-will help stabilize your increased mana signature. Do this with all the 8 elemental Summon Spirits, and you shall realize your purpose in your immortal life."

I brought my amulet out and examined it. It was glowing faintly, giving off a radiant, dark blue light. I put it back under clothes. "Is that all?" I asked.

He nodded his head. "And remember: You won't speak of any of this to the Chosen and her companions. Understood?" I nodded my head. "Good. Do not forget your task." With those last words, he was engulfed by light, then vanished, leaving a fresh trail of angel feathers behind. I just stood there, as if immobilized from the knowledge I had just received.

_'Those damn bastards.' _I thought. _'Why are they making me do this?'_

_'You can't blame them.' _a tiny voice in my head said. _'You're the one who wanted to find out why you're still alive.'_

_'But still,' _I argued mentally. _'it's just hard to keep stuff from Colette, especially considering the circumstances she's in.'_

_'Well maybe you should have just said no to Remiel and figure out why you're still alive yourself.'_

_'Yeah, I guess. But Mithos owes me SO much. I think this is the least he can do.'_

_'But what if he's just using you? What if he's only saying he'll reveal your purpose when he's really having you do his bidding?'_

_'Shut up! Why the hell would he even do that? Besides, Mithos isn't that smart to trick me. You know what he did with this world and what he thinks his sister wants. He's pretty much driven by madness.'_

I sighed. "Great! Now I'm going crazy." I couldn't believe I was arguing with myself. Thank goodness no one was around, though. I'm pretty sure one glance at my face and they would automatically assume I was crazy.

By now, the sun was slowly rising to the air, gradually increasing the temperature within every hour. I assumed the others were barely getting up, so I decided to head back to the inn. Quietly, I went back inside the inn and went back to my room.

Lloyd was still asleep, snoring away. After making sure I had everything, I left the room and went back outside. A few shops were open for business, so I went to buy a few ingredients to make an omelet. I went back to the inn again and went to the kitchen to prepare the omelet. I cracked the eggs and cooked them on my iron frying pan(You never know when you might need one). I mixed a few vegetables, some cheese, and a bit of meat with the egg, I folded the egg and let it cook for a little longer.

Soon, the omelet was ready. I put it on a plate, washed my frying pan, and put it back in my bag. I slowly ate my omelet, enjoying the succulent, mouth-watering taste of my meal. The fluffy texture of the exterior. The warm, melted cheddar. The salty, juicy taste of the meat. The perfect combination of tomato, mushroom, and spinach. It was just all so good!**  
**

I finished my omelet and put it in the sink. I left the kitchen and headed outside. Everyone must have still been asleep, since none of them were outside. Bored, I went to go pet Noishe. He barked playfully when I came closer. I patted his velvety mane, marveled at the extreme softness of it. I left him and went back inside. I heard commotion coming from the kitchen, so I went inside.

It was Raine, already dressed and was making herself a cup of coffee. "Oh. Good morning Anthony." She greeted.

"Good morning." I said. "How did you sleep?" she asked. I didn't want to tell her about my 'nightmare', so I said, "Fine."

"Do you want something to eat?" I flinched, knowing how terrible Raine's 'experimental cooking' was.

"N-No thanks." I said. "I already ate."

"So is that why it smells so good in here?" she asked.

"Yeah. I made an omelet." She inhaled the air, trying to get a better smell of my cooking.

"Hmm… From the aroma, I can assume that you're cooking skills rivals those of Genis." She concluded.

"Well, if you're on your own, you've got to learn how to take care of yourself. You should also know about this as well. Isn't that why you learned healing artes?"

She nodded her head. "To take care of myself and Genis, I took on the role as a healer. Can I ask you a question?"

I was startled by her sudden question. "Sure, I guess."

"How did you come across your magic artes?"

My whole body stiffened. "What are you talking about?"

"Pixie Circle… Stop Flow… I have never seen or heard any of those artes ever. How is it that you came across them? Surely you didn't learn them naturally."

I was trying to think of a way to lie my way out of this. "I um… read it in a book." I made up. "I can't remember where… or, what the book was called. But I learned these and a few more artes from a few books."

Raine didn't seem to buy this, just like all my other lies.

_'Wow…' _I thought. _'I'm pretty rusty.' _She didn't question further, however, so I was safe for now.

"Also," she began. "I'm sorry Genis told everyone in the village you were a half-elf. You might have had a better life if he had not."

"It doesn't matter." I said. Then I imitated Lloyd, "Everyone would have found out eventually."

Raine gave a small chuckle. "I guess that's true. I wish I knew why Genis would do something like that."

"Me too." I said. "And if it was over some stupid reason, then I'm going to rip out his tongue and force feed it to him along with some raw dragon balls!" I took out my frying pan and banged it against the table, as a way to release my anger.

"Don't you think that would be a little too harsh?" she asked. "And exaggerated?"

I shook my head. "It's not like it's impossible."

"What do you-"

"Don't ask." I interrupted.

She stopped talking, causing an awkward silence in the atmosphere.

"So…" I said, breaking the silence. "Did you equip the Exsphere?"

"Yes." she said, raising her hand to show the shining stone. "I woke up Genis to show me how to equip it. I wonder how enhanced my abilities will be. Both physically and magically."

"Well," I said. "from what I know, Exspheres enhance your abilities greatly, so expect great changes in your artes and normal attacks."

"MARVELOUS!" she said, her eyes sparkling. "I can't wait to try it out myself!"

I rolled my eyes. _'Just wait until you learn how they're made…'_

We heard someone open the door to the kitchen. We saw Kratos come in, fully dressed (_"Most likely didn't even sleep." _I thought.), shortly followed by Genis.

"Good morning." Genis said, yawning. Then he took a whiff. "Is someone making an omelet?"

"I did," I said. "but only for myself. Sorry about that." I gave him a fake smile, causing him to blush. "Sh-Shut up!" he stuttered.

"I see they've already started." Kratos muttered to Raine.

"You stay out of this, Kratos!" I shouted, causing him to scowl at me.

"Both of you, stop acting like babies!" Raine scolded. "You're both acting very immaturely. This really needs to stop."

At that moment, Colette came in. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

Genis and I shook our heads. "Everything's fine!" we both said.

She smiled. "Good! I'm glad you two stopped fighting."

"They didn't stop fighting." Kratos said. "In fact, they were just fighting until you came in." This new information caused Colette to frown.

"Snitch." I muttered. Kratos had a slightly amused look on his face, while Genis' expression was annoyed.

"Please, don't fight anymore." she pleaded. "It makes me feel even more nervous."

"I won't make any promises." I muttered.

Awkward silence.

"Perhaps we should go now." Kratos said, breaking the silence. He left the kitchen, leaving the four of us behind.

"Meet us outside." Raine said, then left the kitchen with her mug. Colette followed her, along with Genis, leaving me alone in the kitchen. After making sure all my stuff was in my bag, I left the kitchen and went outside.

The Chosen, siblings, and Captain Obvious were waiting outside with Noishe. I joined them, and they all stared at me.

"What?"

"You have to wake up Lloyd." Raine instructed.

I gaped at her. "Why me?!"

"You slept with him in the same room, so you have to wake him up." Kratos said. I glared at him.

"That doesn't mean anything?!"

"Just do it!" Genis said, irritated. I crossed my arms.

"Fine..." I grumbled. I went back inside and went into the downstairs room. I approached Lloyd, who was still snoring away. I nudged him.

"Wake up." I said.

***SNORE***

"Wake up!" I said more forcefully, now shaking his shoulder.

_***SNORE!***_

I sighed and took out my frying pan. "I'm sorry I have to do this." I muttered. I slammed my frying pan against his forehead, causing him to jump. He sat up in his bed, a large, red mark right in the middle of his forehead.

"What th heck was that for?!" he shouted, rubbing his forehead. I smiled. "How else was I supposed to wake you up?" I put my frying pan back in my bag. "Get dressed already. We're about to go to the Seal of Fire." I was about to leave the room, until Lloyd put a hand on my shoulder.

"Listen," he began. "I'm really sorry for-"

"Just forget about it." I interrupted. "We have to go now. Hurry up and get dressed." I pushed his hand away from me and left the room.

_'That was a little harsh.' _A voice inside of me said.

_'And?' _I argued. _'I don't want to get too close to any of them anyways.'_

_'Why not?'_

_'I'm just going to end up betraying them in the end.'_

_'Yeah but-'_

_'Shut up!'_

"Are you OK?"

I turned around to see Lloyd, fully dressed, his twin swords strapped to his belt. I felt myself blush slightly.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go now; They're probably getting impatient." And by 'they', I meant Kratos. We wnt outside, greeted by the impatient expression of Kratos, the glaring of Genis, and the smile of Colette. Lloyd ran up to them, smiling sheepishly. After apologizing, Kratos said, "We can finally head out to release the Seal." I rolled my eyes, 'cause Captain Obvious has struck again.

"I'll do my best!" Colette said eagerly.

"Cool!" Lloyd said, completely pumped up. "Let's go check out that Seal!"

"We'll see if that enthusiasm lasts." Genis joked.

"I'll be fine!" he said, slightly angry. "Just you watch!"

"Here, Lloyd." Raine said. She went up to him and handed Lloyd a book.

"What's this for?" he asked.

"It's a Monster Book." she explained. "Gathering data on your enemies is useful for protecting the Chosen."

He eyed the book. It was binded together with some very fine leather and had many, many, MANY pages. "I-I 'm going to fill it ALL in?" he asked in disbelief.

"Don't worry. I'll help. Just think of it as homework."

Lloyd groaned, a grotesque look on his face. Kratos sighed impatiently.

"We should get going." He began to exit Triet, followed by Raine, Colette, and Genis.

"Give me the book." I said. He looked at me, wearing his confused expression. "Why?" he asked.

"I'll hold on to it. Just give it to me." He reluctantly gave me the book. I put it in my bag and then went to join the rest of them. That is, until Lloyd stopped me.

"How did you do that?" he asked.

"Do what."

"You just stuff the book into your bag, and it looks like it didn't add any weight. How?"

"Magic." I replied bluntly. "Let's go already. They're going to leave us." I continued walking, leaving Lloyd behind me. He soon jogged up to the rest of the group, leaving me behind.

Fortunately, very few monsters and thieves came for us, and the ones that did were defeated easily. Soon enough we reached the Ruins.

Now that there was no sandstorm, we were able to see the Ruins clearly. It seemed like the Ruins used to be some type of temple or castle, before Efreet's hellfire came and turned this whole area into a scorching hot desert. And since this is where his hellfire originated, the Triet Ruins had received the most damage. Whatever remained wasn't safe for tourists to explore without a guide, since monsters had inhabited the Ruins over time.

"So hot..." Lloyd complained. "Man, I'm beat..." He was sweating like a pig, and looked like he wanted to collapse.

"See?" Genis pointed out. "You're already worn out."

"I'm sick of this desert." he said, sitting down in the sand.

Noishe, who had accompanied us to the Ruins, suddenly tensed up and backed away slowly. He gave a loud whimper.

"What's wrong Noishe?" Lloyd asked, suddenly getting up and went to comfort him.

"Be on your guard." Kratos said, unsheathing his sword. "There are enemies about."

Suddenly, two monsters came out. They were the Fire Elements, a type of monster created with magic to guard the Triet Ruins. They were made from a special red rock, covered in angelic writing, giving them their magical properties. Lloyd unsheathed his two blades and charged for the nearest one while Raine went to a safe distance to cast. Genis and Colette went to guard Noishe while I notched a few arrows.

_**"Aqua Arrows!"**_I shouted, releasing arrows of water at one of them. The arrows made contact, damaging it and weakening it's fire abilities. The one Lloyd was attacking began casting, and since they are made of both magic and rock, they are hard to interrupt. It cast _**"Fire Ball!"**_and sent them towards Lloyd, who barely managed to block them with his sword. Once the fire had subsided, he continued his onslaught.

_**"Photon!"**_Raine shouted. Small bursts of light damaged the other Fire Element. The rock was completely battered, and after making a feeble attempt to move, it sunk to the ground, and the magic fused with it left. The rock then broke into a million pieces, leaving behind a pile of red rock shards. Lloyd finally defeated his Fire Element, and it became a pile of shards too, it's magic having left it's body. Lloyd sheathed his swords, a triumphant look on his face.

Kratos, however, merely sighed. "This is going to be a nuisance." he muttered, sheathing his sword.

"What is?" Lloyd asked.

"Nothing." Kratos said, as if it made sense. "Anyway, it would be a good idea for you to learn techniques to protect yourself."

"Are you talking about self-defense training?" Colette asked, tilting her head.

"Something like that." Kratos answered. "Techniques to raise your defense during battles." He unsheathed his sword again. "I'll show you how it's done. Once you grasp the theory, the rest should be easy." He then performed _**"Guardian!"**_, causing a green dome of defensive energy to form around him, protecting him from any direct attacks.

Lloyd's mouth was gaping. "WOW! How did you do that?"

"It takes time, but as I said before, once you grasp the theory, it should be easy to master." He first instructed Lloyd, who somehow managed to get it right without any trouble. Then he moved on to Colette, who master it under a different name, _**"Damage**** Guard!"**_. Next, he went to Raine and Genis, who mastered it under the name, _**"Force Field!**__**". **_Finally, he came to me, having me learn it as _**"Stellar Shield!"**_After a few hours, we had mastered these defensive techniques.

"OK!" Lloyd said, suddenly pumped. "I don't really get it, but I already feel stronger! I can't wait to try it out!"

"Now you're just imagining things." Genis muttered.

Raine looked around. "What happened to Noishe?" We all looked around, but Noishe was nowhere in sight.

"She's right." I said. "Weren't you supposed to be watching Noishe, Genis?"

He blushed. "Y-Yes, but I was... Um, too busy learning Force Field! Yeah, that's right!"

Lloyd sighed. "It doesn't matter. He's gone. Aw, man, he's run off again."

I rolled my eyes. _'I think Captain Obvious here is rubbing off on you now, Lloyd.'_

"He's probably nervous about the monsters." Kratos implied. "I think it would be best not to count on Noishe in places with monsters around."

_'Yup, he's rubbing off on you.'_

We approached the first remains of the Ruins, which was just a stone platform with a few fallen pillars. In the center was a slab of-

"Fantastic!" Raine exclaimed. Everyone looked at her, a puzzled look on our faces. "Look at this slab covering the entrance! It's clearly of a different composition than the surrounding stone!" She examined it more closely and then let out a chuckle. "It's just as I thought!" She bent down and ran her hand across the smooth surface. "This is polycarbonate, developed during the Ancient War to defend against magic!" She stroked the slab. "Feel the smooth surface! It's wondrous!~"

Kratos glanced at Genis. "Is she always like this?"

Genis looked panicked, as if a big secret has been released. Raine got up and went to examine the the stone next to the slab, a crazed look in her eyes. Lloyd saw this and panicked.

"Is she?"

Genis finally groaned and gave in. "I've been trying so hard to hide it, too."

I rolled my eyes again. _'I see. She must get like this around ruins. I guess that explains those crazed laughs I heard comin from the temple a few weeks ago.'_

Raine looked at the stone more closely. "Hmm... This depression, it reads, 'Oracle Stone'. " She glanced at the stone, then at Colette. "Colette, place your hand there." She pointed at the smooth part of the stone. "That should reveal the entrance."

"Really?" Lloyd asked, shocked that a handprint can do so much.

"This stone is enchanted with magic designed to identify the Chosen." she explained. "There's no doubt about it. If Colette places her hand here, then it should reveal the entrance to the Seal."

Colette went up and place her hand on the Oracle Stone. Almost instantly, the polycarbonate moved to reveal a secret staircase that led under the Ruins.

Colette's eyes lit up. "It opened! Wow! I guess I really am the Chosen after all!"

I facepalmed. _'Are you serious, Colette?'_

"Yes, I think we all know that already." Genis said, also facepalming.

"OK! Now it's getting exciting!" Lloyd said, extremely pumped. "Let's hurry up and go inside!"

I hope you'll be able to maintain that enthusiasm." Kratos said, but Lloyd was already going down the steps into the Ruins. We all followed soon after.

* * *

**A/N: I hoped yu like it. Please review. I really want to know what I can improve on and what you think about this fic.**

**(1): NO, MY OC's NOT GAY! He just really cared for Lloyd, as said in the last chapter. I bet most of you thought he was gay when you read that. Well, HE'S NOT! Just thought I should get that out of the way. ;)**

**(2): For the lullaby, it's going to be Zelda's Lullaby from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.**

**Oh yeah! For those of you who read Chapter 6, the only reason why I changed who casted Fir Ball is because I decided to limit the power of my OC to only Ice and Dark magic, plus some healing, support, and status spells. My OC was WAY too overpowered, but I partially fixed that problem.**


	9. The Triet Ruins: Part 2

**A/N: Sorry it's been a while. School's still bitching around with me with my finals that are coming up. God, 8th grade is annoying.**

* * *

**The Seal of Fire: Part 2**

A blast of hot air smacked our faces when we entered the ruins.

"Man, it's so hot!" Lloyd complained. Then he glanced at me. "How are you not complaining in this heat?"

He does have a point. After all, I'm wearing all black with a sweater in the location of the Summon Spirit of Fire in the middle of the desert. "I'm just used to extreme climates." I said. Lloyd was still staring at me, his mouth now gaping. "Yeah, but it's so hot in here!"

"This coming from the guy wearing a jacket." I said, which caused Lloyd to shut up.

Soon, we reached the bottom of the steps and came up to a circular room. It had three rooms leading to different sections of the interior. We went through the room in front of us, but came to a dead end.

"Now what are we going to do?" Genis asked, fanning himself with his hand.

"It looks like the other rooms link to this place." I informed. "Maybe we should try to go through the other sides to see if we have to do anything there. Places like this tend to have some type of puzzle."

"How exactly do you know about this stuff?" Lloyd questioned.

"What, am I now not allowed to travel just because I'm a half-elf!" I said angrily, causing Lloyd to back away.

"Hey! That's not what I meant!" he said quickly. I was just curious about how you know this stuff!"

"Whatever." I muttered. "Let's just keep going." We left the room and went to the left side of the circular one.

Raine came up to me and said, "I take it you two haven't made up yet."

"Obviously." I said rudely.

"Listen, I know Lloyd got on your bad side the other day. But we have to work together as a group to help Colette on her journey, That means getting along with each other. I won't try to convince you to befriend Genis, since I don't know why he doesn't like you so much, but please try with Lloyd. Despite him being a swordsman, he's really soft. Being angry with him will just depress him."

"I understand." I said in a more friendly way. "But you don't know what's it like to be hated just because of your race. Isn't that why you hide it?" Raine didn't say anything, so I continued. "Lloyd did apologize, but I don't forgive people easily anymore. I've been hurt physically and mentally by both humans and elves just because I'm a half-elf. And I'm sick of it!"

"But hating them won't solve anything."

"Oh, I don't hate them. I just hate their hatred for half-elves. It gets annoying after some time."

_'Awesome!' _ I thought. _'I had a conversation with her without revealing information!'_

_'That won't stop you from still saying anything.' _the little voice in my head said.

_'You stay out of this!'_

"Is something wrong?" Raine asked, causing my to jump.

"Nothing!" I said quickly, which Raine didn't buy, according to her expression.

_'Now you've done it.'_

_'You know it's your fault! Who are you, anyways?'_

_'Don't play stupid! You know I'm your self-conscious'_

"Are you sure you're OK?" she asked again.

"I'm fine. Just a headache."

_'Did you just call me a headache?!' _I mentally blocked my self-conscious, allowing myself to concentrate more on the task at hand.

We went into the left room to be met with a Jabber, one of the most annoying monsters in existence.

_**"Aqua Edge!"**_Genis shouted, sending the streams of water to the Jabber, which was enough to defeat it.

"You've improved." I commented. Genis grinned cockily. "Well, with this Exsphere I have equipped, I get stronger faster. I guess I'm the one who has _potential _now."

"You do know potential means that you're capable to do something, but unable to do it at the current time, right?" Genis blushed. "O-Of course." he stuttered. I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Let's just check the room to see if we can do anything here."

We spread out, looking for some type of puzzle to solve so we can proceed. Soon, Lloyd said, "I think I found something!" We crowded over to where Lloyd was, and saw a torch.

"What are we supposed to with it?" Colette asked. Raine went up to examine it.

"Hmm... There once was a city here that was destroyed by Efreet's hellfire." she said. "Try lighting it with fire.

Lloyd was puzzled, but nonetheless he aimed the Sorcerer's Ring and sent a small blast of fire to the torch, lighting it up. We heard a deep rumbling and saw a platform slowly rise up. Lloyd gasped.

"WOW! The floor moved!"

"Interesting..." Raine muttered. "This place must be connected to Efreet."

"Well, it is where Efreet resides nowadays." I said. Lloyd glanced at me, about to ask me something until I glared at him, changing his mind.

Raine took advantage of this silence and continued. "At this rate, we should light any torches we come across."

Lloyd's eyes lit up, eager to be of use. "OK!"

And so, we went around the ruins, lighing torches and fighting monsters, the most difficult being the Fire Warriors, who were specifically created by Efreet himself to guard the path to him, as well as the Fire Elements, who were also a pain in the ass. Once we finished, we climbed up the risen platforms and found the teleporter leading to Efreet's altar.

"Are we ready?" Raine asked. Lloyd, Colette, Genis, and I nodded our heads, and Kratos made a grunting noise. We didn't know what lay beyond the altar,or if we'll make it out alive (I know _I_ will.), but otherwise, we fearlessly stepped on the teleporter and warped to the altar.

Nothing was really special about the room in appearance; Just a circular room with ancient pillars and Cruxis emblems. Raine, however, was very impressed with the architecture of the room.

"This place is also built with magitechnology!" Raine exclaimed, touching the walls. "Absolutely fantastic!" At the far end was the altar, which we approached with caution.

Suddenly, mana, which took the color of fiery red, began to flow upward from the altar. Everyone, with the exception of me and Kratos, were both shocked and fascinated them. Lava erupted from the altar, and before we knew it, the guardian of the Seal appeared before us.

The guardian was a Ktugach, a species of monsters who were now extinct, and the ancestors of the ligers. They were Fire-Elemental monsters that resembled tigers, with molten red fur and orange stripes. It had sharp spikes on it's back that can shoot off as projectiles

Two of it's offspring, which were called Ktugachlings, hovered nearby their father. They resembled tiger cubs, but since their short, stubby legs weren't well adapted to walk on land, they are bathed in a special liquid that gave them magical properties, allowing them to levitate. Adults keep this magic, but can't levitate due to the increase in their weight. The cubs had long tails and piercing red eyes, just like their father. All three growled fiercely, baring their teeth and glaring into our souls. The father roared menacingly, trying to intimidate his foes, which worked on the majority of us. Even me and Kratos were slightly taken aback by his fierce roar.

Lloyd and Kratos unsheathed their blades and Colette took out her chakrams. Genis took out his toy- sorry, _weapon, _the kendama and Raine took out her rod. I took out my bow and we all got into a battle stance.

"OK so here's what we're going to do." Raine instructed. "Lloyd and Kratos, you go and distract the Ktugach so it can't cast magic."

The swordsmen nodded their heads and charged towards the Ktugach. She then turned to Genis. "You get to a safe distance and cast Water and Ice magic one the monsters."

Genis scampered off to the edge of the battlefield and began casting.

"Colette, stay behind me."

Colette wanted to protest, but one look from kept her mouth shut.

"We need to protect you Colette." Raine reasoned. "You're the reason why we're on this journey, and it's our duty to protect the Chosen. Do you understand?"

Colette nodded glumly, but understood what Raine meant. "Raine then turned to me. "You take out the Ktugachlings."

I nodded, showing no emotion on my face, but in reality, I was heartbroken with the task at hand. The ancestors of my closest friends... And I have to kill the offspring. But refusing to do so will result in suspicion, which would most likely lead to the secret of my immortality.

So I did as I was told, and aimed an arrow at one of the Ktugachlings. I released it, piercing her body. She yelped in pain, then growled in anger. She began to cast magic, but I interrupted her with another arrow. I got a little closer and notched a multitude of arrows.

_**"Volley!" **_I shouted, sending dozens of arrows in every direction, hitting all three of the guardians. The arrows only seemed to make them more aggressive, seeing as the Ktugachlings were heading in my direction. I used **_"Aqua__ Arrows!"_**, sending the arrows of water at one, causing it to fall to the ground. After giving one last, soft growl, she disintegrated, leaving behind a pile of dust at where it used to lay.

The Ktugach's eyes widened in sadness and the remaining Ktugachling whimpered for the loss of his sister. His father gave an angry roar, causing all of us to stagger, and glared at me. I gave him an apologizing look, but he was already blinded with rage. He cast _**"Eruption!"**_, causing a small volcano to sprout underneath me, spewing lava, giving me severe burns.

_**"First Aid!"**_I heard Raine shout, and before I knew it, I was bathed in a soothing, healing light that made the pain go away. I then backed away and began casting.

_**"O twisted door of distortion, open wide!... Negative Gate!"**_A black vortex of dark energy formed near the remaining Ktugachling, sucking in the surrounding air. That force drew the Ktugachling closer to the spherical vortex, damaging him greatly. His father went in front of him as soon as the spell dissipated, trying to protect his cub. He sent a barrage of spikes in my direction, which I had barely avoided.

_**"Splash!"** _Genis shouted, causing streams of water to fall on top of the two severely. the remaining Ktugachling gave one final growl before disintegrating, just like his sister. That really set the Ktugach on a rampage. He swung his paw, sweeping Lloyd and Kratos off their feet. He cast _**"Eruption!"**_again, this time at Raine. She managed to use _**"Force Field!"** _just in time, reducing the damage dealt to her. Once the spell subsided, she immediately began to heal herself.

_**"Double Demon Fang!"** _Lloyd shouted, sending not one- but TWO small shock waves towards the very large, very strong Ktugach, which only seemed to annoy him more than anger. He then shot another barrage of spikes, this time at Lloyd, who managed to deflect them with his swords. He then got closer to him and shouted **_"Tiger_ _Blade!"_**, jumping while slashing upwards with one sword, then slashing downwards with the other. Blood was seeping out of the Ktugach, soaking his fur with his own crimson liquid, but he was still very much alive. While he was distracted, I began casting again.

_**"Astion!"** _I shouted. Genis was enveloped in a pyramid of blue light. He started to panic.

"Wh-What the heck did you do?!" he shouted.

"Don't worry." I shouted back. "It just increases your magical damage."

_'Pussy.'_

He began casting **_"Icicle!"_**, which did a lot more damage than it would have normally done. Genis eyed me suspiciously.

"First you can cast Dark magic, then you use these spells that we don't even know about! How?"

"Never mind that!" I shouted, trying to change the subject. "Just focus on the battle!" Genis was then hit with _**"Fire** **Ball!"**_, causing him to wince in pain. Raine went to his aid, and he got his head back into the battle. I began to cast another spell.

_**"O frigid blades, pour forth!... Icicle Rain!"**_A flurry of icicles rained down from above, most hitting the Ktugach. Since he's a Fire-Elemental monster, who are weakened by Ice or Water-Elemental attacks, the icicles that did hit him did heavy damage. but he still wasn't ready to die just yet. He sent another barrage of spikes in my direction, which I managed to block with _**"Stellar**** Guard!"**_. I used _**"Storm Edge"**_, sending a stream of arrows at the Ktugach.

Lloyd, who went to a safe distance to rest, charged at the Ktugach again, slashing and hacking away. Sweat glistened on his forehead and grunts and shouts can be heard coming out of him. I aimed an arrow at him.

_**"Aqua Influence!"**_I shouted. The arrow hit Lloyd and faded away, turning his weapon a pale blue.

"Thanks!" he shouted.

"Focus on the fight!" I shouted back. "Look out!" But it was too late. The Ktugach had clawed at Lloyd, scratching his chest. Lloyd went to his knees and clutched his stomach. Blood seeped through his jacket and on to his gloved hand. All he could do is just kneel there in agony, instead of trying to drag his body AWAY from the monster that wounded him.

"Baka." I muttered, but nonetheless, I cast _**"First**** Aid!"**_, along with Raine and Kratos while Genis kept the Ktugach busy with _**"Splash!"**_, soaking him with water. Soon, Lloyd was back on his feet, reinvigorated.

"Tha-"

"Focus on the battle!" we all shouted. Lloyd was slightly taken aback, but he did as he was told and faced the Ktugach. He then continued his previous assault, this time with the aid of Kratos. Genis continued with his arsenal of Water and Ice magic and Raine continued with her healing duties. i continued shooting arrows at the Ktugach, picking up any spare arrows scattered around the battlefield that were still intact, as well as any of the Ktugach's spikes, which were in mostly good condition. I used _**"Aqua Influence!"**_on Kratos as well, since he is fighting on the front lines with Lloyd.

Finally, the Ktugach gave a deep, low roar and fell to the ground. After a few moments, he disintegrated to nothing. I let out a choked breath, depression filling my whole body. The ancestor of my closest friends... and I helped kill him and his young. Steam left the altar, since the fire had been put out.

_'Don't worry.' _my self-conscious said. _'It's not like he's gone forever. You might see him again in a few decades.'_

_'That's a big IF, though.' _I argued.

_'Oh, come on! You're always so negative.'_

_But what if-'_

"What's wrong with you." Genis interrupted, staring at me like I'm crazy.

"Nothing!" I said quickly.

"But you-"

Suddenly, the altar sprang up, revealing a chamber. The shadow of Efreet lingered for a moment before he faded away, a red ball of mana replacing him.

_**"You, Chosen of Regeneration."**_the voice of Remiel echoed throughout the altar room. _**"Offer your prayers at the altar."**_

Colette bowed her head. "Yes, my lord." Colette went up to the altar and began to pray. "Oh Goddess Martel, great protector and nurturer of the earth, grant me thy strength!"

The red ball of mana dissipated and holy light from above illuminated the room. A ball of light descended and hovered above the altar, exploding after a few moments, revealing the angelic being.

"Colette, my dear daughter. You have done well."

"Thank you, Father." she said, with a hint of doubt in her voice. Does she know he isn't her real father?

"The guardian of the Seal has fallen, and the first Seal has been released." Remiel said. "Efreet will surely awaken soon."

I clenched my fists. _'Stay strong.' _my self-conscious said.

"In the name of Cruxis, I shall grant you the power of the angels." Remiel raised his hands and began to say a prayer in the angelic language. Colette stood still, waiting to be blessed by the angels. Streams of light in the colors red, blue, green, and white spiraled downward and were absorbed into Colette's Cruxis Crystal. A bright light shrouded her, fading away after a while. The next sight made Lloyd and Genis gasp and gape in shock.

Colette now had wings. They were a pink-purplish color and were composed of mana. They appeared to be made of some type of crystalline material, which is partially true, because if they were damaged, pieces would fall off like shards of crystal. Colette flapped her new wings, and flew up.

"The angel transformation will not be without pain." Remiel explained. "Yet, it is but for one night. Be strong and endure."

"I humbly accept this trial." she said, nodding her head.

"The next Seal lies far east, across the sea. Offer your prayers at the altar there."

"Yes Lord Remiel."

Remiel was then absorbed in a bright light and disappeared, leaving a trail of angel feathers behind. Colette got back on the ground and faced us.

"Colette... has wings!" Lloyd said, still getting used to that fact.

"Uh-huh. And look; I can put them away too." She closed her eyes for a brief moment and her wings faded away.

"Oh wow! That's so cool!" Genis exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement. Colette was excited about it too, and began to repeatedly take out her wings and put them away. The rest of us just stood there, watching. I sighed. Lloyd decided to break the silence by saying, "He said the next place is across the sea! That means we get to go on a ship!" He let out an excited laugh. "I can't wait!"

A ship..." Raine said, uncertainty in her voice. "I wonder if there are any ships sailing with the way things are right now."

"We should head to the coast to see what we could find." Kratos suggested.

"We should head back now." I said. "Before it gets too dark."

Lloyd glanced at Colette and Genis. "OK, you two. That's enough."

Colette put her wings away for the last time and faced Lloyd, smiling. "OK!" she and Genis said simultaneously. They joined the rest of us and we all left the altar room together. We managed to make our way through the Ruins without encountering any monsters and in no time, we were outside.

Suddenly, Colette collapsed and wailed in pain.

"Colette! Are you OK?!" Lloyd exclaimed, helping her up.

"I'm... fine.." she huffed. Raine came up to her and began to examine her.

"You don't look fine at all!" Genis said. "Your face is completely white! It's all my fault. I got carried away and kept making you pull your wings in and out."

"I don't think that has anything to do with it." Lloyd said.

"Now's not the time for that!" Raine said. "Her lips are turning purple. We must get her to a doctor in the city immediately."

"Wait." Kratos said. "It's best not to move her."

"Why?" Lloyd said, helping Raine hold Colette up.

"Remember the angel's words: The angel transformation process requires her to overcome a trial. Rather than taking her to a doctor, it would be best to let her rest here." Everyone looked at Colette, waiting to hear her response.

"I'm... OK." she panted. "I'll be fine after a little rest... I'm sorry to cause so much trouble..."

"Stop apologizing all the time, you dork!" Lloyd playfully scolded. "It's not as if you can help it. You were suddenly turned into an angel."

Colette let out a weak giggle. "You're right... I'm sorry..." Lloyd sighed. "Let's just set up camp; It's already getting dark."

He was right, after all. The sun was already setting, turning the sky into a pinkish-orange color. "I'll take out the tent." I said, rummaging in my bag. "Who's cooking tonight?"

"perhaps I should?" Raine suggested. We all got a panicked look in our faces, including Kratos. "D-Don't worry about it Raine!" Genis said quickly. "I'll cook. You should stay with Colette."

"O-OK." Raine said, slightly disappointed. "It's too bad. I wanted to try out my new curry recipe."

"What do you mean?" Lloyd asked.

"Well, curry is always either spicy or sweet, so I thought making curry that is sour would be a breakthrough in culinary history!~"

I tried to imagine the taste of sour curry, and shuddered once I imagined it. "Well anyways... Here's the cooking supplies." I said, handing a pot, a knife, and few other utensils. "Whatever you're going to make, just get the ingredients in my bag." I handed the tent to Lloyd. "You're going to set up the tent." I then left the group.

"Where are you going?" Lloyd asked. setting down the tent supplies and coming up to me.

"For a walk." I replied.

"But aren't you going to help us set up?"

"I'm sorry. I just need to be alone for a while." The thought of the Ktugach disintegrating came back to my mind, causing my eyes to tear up. I turned and ran away.

"Wait!" I heard Lloyd shout, but I continued running. I ran and ran until I was sure no one was around. I sat down, tired, and let the tears flow out. I whistled loudly, calling my liger friends. Only one came, which was my closest friend. He came up to me and I embraced him.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. "I had no other choice."

_**"It's not your fault."**_he growled. _**"It's this twisted system of Regeneration. If it had not existed, you wouldn't have had to go on this journey of self-realization."**_

"You're right, Raigā." I said, wiping my eyes. "Maybe I shouldn't have gone on this journey."

_**"But if you had not, you wouldn't have reconnected with Lloyd."**_

"But... What if he betrays me? What if he abandons me because I'm a half-elf?"

_**"Then I'll rip him to shreds!"**_

"You don't have to do that." I told him, chuckling.

_**"But I will. You remember how devastated you were when Anna died. I don't want that to happen to you again. I know you still really care for Lloyd, even if his hatred for half-elves has grown because of those pesky Desians. I know you will be heartbroken if he leaves you. You wouldn't want to live anymore, but you would never be able to die. You would live on as a hollow shell. I don't want that."**_

I embraced the beast. "Thanks for coming. You always know what to say."

_**"Which is why you need to forgive Lloyd and let go of the past."**_

"I'll try." I promised.

"What the heck is that?!" a voice shouted. I looked up to see Lloyd, his swords unsheathed. "Get away from that monster, Anthony!" Raigā roared in protest, but Lloyd charged at him. Raigā pushed me aside and charged to Lloyd.

"No, stop!" I shouted.

* * *

**A/N: Well, that wasn't the greatest cliffhanger, but I tried at least. Again, sorry it's been a while. I promise I'll update more frequently once school is over.**

**Fun Facts:**

**OK, so once upon a time, I got bored and thought that including fun facts about this fic would make it more interesting So here's today's fun fact.**

**I realized I accidentally described nitroglycerin when I came up with exploding Life Bottles.**


	10. The First Trial: Fire

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm SUPER sorry it's been a LONG time since I've last updated. I've just been so busy, and I had a bit of writer's block for this chapter. Sorry for the long wait!**

* * *

**The First Trial: Fire**

"Lloyd! Raigā! Stop!" I shouted, getting up from the ground. I ran to where the battle would commence, determined to stop them. Thankfully, I made it before the two clashed, and spread my arms, putting myself between them.

"Anthony! Get out of the way!" Lloyd shouted.

**_"Move, so I can rip him to shreds!" _**Raigā roared.

"Raigā, stand down!" I commanded. "Lloyd, you too! And put away your weapons; It'll only make him angrier!"

"B-But this _thing _was going to attack you!" Lloyd stammered.

"Don't call him a thing!" I shouted. "He's a liger! His name is Raigā!"

"Rai... gā?"

**_"What the hell are you doing!" _**Raigā growled. **_"Why did you stop me from ripping this boy to pieces!"_**

"Raigā, this is Lloyd." I said, pointing at the swordsman. "Lloyd, this is Raigā, my friend."

"You're friend?!" Lloyd exclaimed, his eyes widening.

"Yes Lloyd." I said, going back to pet Raigā. "Now please put your weapons away. Do you really want to be ripped to shreds by Raigā?" Lloyd reluctantly sheathed his swords, and eyed the liger.

"Don't worry." I told him. "He won't bite."

**_"I'm not making any promises." _**Raigā growled, lying down on the desert sand. Lloyd slowly approached us, stopping in front of me. "Y-You promise he won't bite, right?" he asked nervously. I looked to Raigā. "You won't, right?"

**_"As long as he keeps those weapons away from me, I'll allow him to touch me."_**

"You might want to leave your swords there, then." I told Lloyd. He unbuckled his scabbards and placed the blades on the floor. He then came closer to the liger, and hesitantly raised a hand to stroke Raigā's head. The liger didn't move, only giving a light purr. Lloyd continued to stroke his head while I pat his back, feeling his tensed-up muscles.

"Loosen up, Raigā." I murmured. "It's not like he's going to attack you."

**_"That won't stop him from trying..."_**

"With what weapon? I had him put his swords away and out of your sight."

**_"But they're only a few feet away-"_**

"You know what I meant!"

"Um... Anthony?" Lloyd asked.

"Yeah?"

"Can you... Can you actually understand him?"

"Yes." I answered, as if this were normal. Lloyd just stood there, his mouth gaping. "How?!" he exclaimed.

"Well," I began. "Before coming to Iselia, I lived with ligers. While I lived with them, I learned the monster language to understand them."

**_"Liar..."_**

I tightly squeezed his fur, causing him to growl a little. Lloyd, thinking he had done something wrong, immediately stopped stroking his head. I chuckled. "Don't worry. I said he won't bite." Lloyd let out a nervous laugh. "Well, anyways, Raine told me to come get you." he said, getting his swords. "It's going to be dark soon, and Genis is almost done cooking."

"Have I been out that long?" I asked. Raigā nodded his head. **_"For a few hours. Haven't you noticed it's already getting dark?" _**I looked around to see that he was right. The sun was already setting, turning the sky into beautiful shades of orange and pink.

"You're right. You should be going back to the pack." I said. Raigā got up, and after growling a goodbye, he sped off in the direction of the Ossa Trail, where the pack was probably currently staying. "Alright. Let's go." I began making my way back to the Ruins, Lloyd right behind me.

"That's pretty cool." Lloyd commented. "Being able to talk to monsters. Can you teach me?"

"I don't know." I said. "It took me many years to learn how to fully understand the language. And it takes a lot of focus and practice. I don't think you'll ever get the hang of it, seeing as you have a short attention span."

He blushed. "N-No I don't!" he argued.

"Yes, you do." I said. "Also, can you please not tell anyone about Raigā?"

He gave me a confused look. "Why not?" he asked.

"Well, more half of the group already thinks that I'm weird and crazy, so…"

"That's not true."

"Really? So you, Genis, and Kratos don't think I'm crazy and weird?"

"W-Well… N-Not exactly…"

"It doesn't matter." I told him. "Just promise you won't tell anyone about him."

"OK… I promise." he said.

"Good." Suddenly, a Sidewinder appeared out of nowhere and tried attacking us. Lloyd unsheathed his weapons, but not as quickly as I pulled out my bow and shot the snake in its head. The snake instantly disintegrated, leaving behind Snake Venom as spoils from the battle. I scooped it up and put it in my pocket.

"Nice shot!" Lloyd exclaimed. I simply shrugged. "I've done better. I was aiming for his retina, but I barely hit his pupil."

"That was still really good, though."

"Well, at least I got more Snake Venom. The more I have, the more explosions I can cause."

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.

"How else do you think we got in the Desian base? You did see the huge chunk missing when we left, right?"

"O-Of course I did! I just didn't think you caused it."

_'I guess he really does pay attention once in a while.'_

"Well, I can be very destructive when I want to. Having extra ammunition is always good. All I need is something to set them off."

"But you're a half-elf! Can't you just light it up with magic?"

"I don't like using Fire magic." I answered. "Besides, I never bothered learning it."

"Well, your magic is still very strong, especially during the fight with the guardian of the Seal. But why do you use Dark magic?"

"Because Dark magic is very powerful." I replied. "Though it is difficult to master."

"I see…" Lloyd said. "But can't you just learn how to use Fire magic? Genis can use it without breaking a sweat."

"Elven magic doesn't work that way."

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.

I sighed. "How did this conversation lead to this?" I muttered. "OK Lloyd. I'm going to teach you a little something about elven magic." Lloyd let out a slight groan. I ignored it and then launched into my explanation.

"Elven magic is very complicated, and it branches off into many different types and forms of it, such as healing, voodoo, torture, etc. Elves and half-elves are capable of learning all types of magic, but it takes years and years of study and practice, and they start training when their mana stabilizes, which is usually around the age of 9 or 10."

"Elves and half-elves choose the types of magic they want to learn at the age of 5 or 6, basically when they start kindergarten. From then on, they are assigned to teachers that excel in their chosen magic. For those who have no teachers, they study on their own, but that is more difficult, seeing as they don't have a professional to guide them and the only resources they have are books."

"It is never too late for an elf or half-elf to learn a new type of magic, but it takes up too much time, and it isn't always guaranteed you'll master it. Though some elves and half-elves can learn a new type of magic in under at least two years, if they're good. For those who can't, however, it would take over five years or longer, depending on if they accept help from others. So it is better to learn them when they're young. Do you understand? Lloyd?**(1)**"

I turned to see Lloyd walking beside me, his eyes close, fast asleep. _'Seriously?!' _I thought. _'This kid can walk while sleeping too?!' _I sighed heavily. I stopped Lloyd and leaned closer to his ear. "Don't make me take out the frying pan again." I whispered threateningly.

Immediately, Lloyd's eyes opened, a look of terror spreading across his face. "OK! I'm up! I'm up!" he shouted, backing away in fear. I chuckled a little. "I was just kidding!"

"I-It didn't sound like it!" he exclaimed, laughing nervously.

_'And to think you were extremely hyper and energetic when you were younger.' _I thought. "Well, anyways, we're almost back to the Ruins. If you want you can ask Raine to explain it to you. At least she'll make sure you're awake."

He rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that." We entered the Ruins again, walking into our campsite, which was fully set up. It was getting dark, and the smell of curry was in the air.

"Oh good. You're here." Raine said, the Monster Book in her hands. "I was getting worried."

_'Sure you were…'_

"Curry's almost done, Lloyd." Genis said, mixing tonight's dinner over the campfire in a large pot. I went to my bag and stuck my hand in it, feeling around to see if he took anything else out of it. "OK, who took my doll?" I said after not finding it in my bag.

"O-Oh… I'm sorry." I heard Colette's voice said. I turned to see her sitting near Noishe, holding my doll between her hands.

"It's OK." I said. "But when did Noishe come back?"

"While you were gone." Kratos answered. "He must've sensed the lack of monster activity in this area."

"Why do you have such a creepy-looking doll?" Genis asked, smirking.

"My mom made it for me when I was a baby." I said to him, glaring. "It's the only thing I have left of her."

"You're mom made this?" Colette asked, holding it in between her hands nervously.

"Yeah… My mom was pretty messed up." She gave me back the doll, and as usual, a demonic sensation came over me. It has been happening more recently every time I touch the doll, but I've already examined it carefully, and I never found anything demonic about it. Of course, I probably didn't look very well, but there's no point in searching for anything demonic in the doll.

Anyways, I stuffed the doll back in my bag and pulled out my sketchbook. I sat down and began to draw. Genis had served the curry, and although it was missing some Kirima, it was still pretty good. I then continued to focus on drawing.

"Isn't that the guardian we fought?" I looked up to see Lloyd standing in front of me, looking at what I was drawing, which was the Ktugach and his cubs.

"Yeah…" I muttered. "Killing them was the only reason I left for a while."

"Why?"

"Well… The Ktugach are the ancestors of ligers. Killing them just felt like killing my own family." I sighed. "You must think I'm really weird. Calling monsters my family..."

"No I don't." Lloyd said. "Even if they're monsters, family is family."

"Now you're just saying stuff." I muttered. "You definitely had your parents longer than I had mine. How old were you when Dirk found you? Three?" Lloyd nodded his head. "My parents were killed by humans only after a few months I was born."

"Really?" Lloyd asked, tilting his head. I nodded my head. "I still had my sister, but she died as well. Ligers are the only family I have left."

"What happened to your sister?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." I muttered. Lloyd muttered, "Sorry…" before leaving to talk to someone else. I honestly don't know why he was apologizing. Maybe because of the day before? Or because of asking about my sister? Or maybe because humans killed my parents? Who knows? I'm definitely not going to ask him.

"Anthony you're standing watch tonight." Kratos ordered. I jumped at the suddenness of him. "Wh-Why me?!" I asked angrily.

"It appears you still have things to straighten out with yourself." he answered. "Perhaps standing watch would help you." I rolled my eyes. _'You're just making me look crazy again…' _I thought bitterly. _'You lousy son of a-'_

"I think I'm gonna take a walk." Colette said suddenly, getting up.

"You want me to come with you?" Lloyd asked. Colette shook her head, coughing.

"I just need to be alone for a while." She then left the camp, leaving Lloyd hanging.

"Ha-Ha!" Genis teased. "You-got-re-ject-ted!" Lloyd glared at the silverette, a blush on his cheeks. "Sh-Shut up!" he shouted angrily.

"We should probably get some sleep." Kratos said. "It's already getting late." Lloyd and Genis groaned. "You really are a killjoy, aren't you?" Lloyd complained, stripping off his jacket.

"Yeah! It's completely unfair!" Genis whined. "Anthony doesn't have to go to sleep!"

"That's because I'm keeping watch, remember?" I said. "Time for the little kids to go to sleep." Genis grumbled a bit, a blush clearly visible on his cheeks. He lied down and closed his eyes.

"Make sure Colette comes back." Raine said. "Hopefully, she'll be coming back soon." With that, she lied down on the desert floor and fell asleep.

_'Stupid Kratos…' _I thought. _'Why doesn't HE keep watch? It's not like he can sleep anyways…' _I was completely bored, since the release of the Seal had reduced monster activity, so there really isn't a point in standing watch anyways.

After about half an hour, Colette came back. She looked a little better, but her face was still a little pale.

"Hey." I said, getting up. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah." she answered, nodding her head. "I just needed to be alone for a while. Oh! I almost forgot!" A smile crept on to her face. "It turns out I learned a spell!"

"You did?" I asked curiously. "What spell?"

"It's called 'Angel Feathers.' Remiel told me while I was gone. It's really cool!" she exclaimed.

"Oh… You meant an Angel Skill." Colette tilted her head, a confused look on her face. "An Angel Skill? What are those?"

"I'll explain some other time." I told her. "Right now you should go to sleep." She let out a yawn.

"You're right." she muttered sleepily, rubbing her eyes. "But what about you?"

"I have to stand watch tonight. Don't worry about it, though. Just go to sleep now." She nodded her head and went to where everyone else was sleeping.

_'I really hate you for this, Kratos…' _I thought. _'Why did you have to force me into doing this? You're fully capable of watching over all of us.'_

"I see you're still sitting around." a voice said. I stood up and took out my bow, scanning the area for the source of the voice.

"I'm right here, you stupid half-elf." I looked behind me and saw Remiel, a smug look on his face.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, sitting back down and turning my attention away from him.

"I'll answer your question with another question: Why are you sitting around when you have work to be done?"

Suddenly, something burned against my chest. I took out my amulet, which was glowing brightly and radiating heat.

_'Oh yeah…' _I thought. I had completely forgotten about the amulet, and what I was supposed to do with it. I grabbed the amulet and put it back under my clothes.

"Go do what you came here for." Remiel commanded. "Do not disappoint me." With that, he vanished, leaving a trail of angel feathers behind.

_'God, I'm so stupid.' _I thought.

_'Yeah you are.' _my self-conscious said.

_'You stay out of this!' _I blocked out that _stupid _voice and went into the Ruins. It was still hot as hell in there, but no monsters came and attacked me.

_'So that's why Kratos made me stand watch tonight… So I can fight Efreet without anyone noticing I had left.' _I reached the teleporter and warped to the altar room.

The red ball of mana was exactly where we had left it. The voice of Efreet echoed throughout the room.

**_"Do you seek a pact, young half-elf?" _**he asked, lava spouting from the altar with his every word.

"I seek no pact." I said, taking out my bow. "I was told that if I defeated you and the other Summon Spirits in battle, then this amulet-"I pulled out the amulet, displaying it to the ball of mana. "Will give me some of your power, and my true purpose in this eternal life will be revealed."

**_"And who told you that?"_**

"An angel of Cruxis." I answered, putting the amulet away. "He told me that if I did this, I'll learn why I was made immortal."

**_"I see…" _**he muttered. The lava was now erupting to great heights, and the ball of mana was replaced with the Summon Spirit himself. He had the appearance of a red giant without legs, and had crimson skin and devil horns.

**_"So, you think you can defeat me all by yourself." _**Efreet taunted.

"You've certainly changed in appearance…" I said, notching an arrow. "But you're still cocky as hell!" I released the arrow, but it was disintegrated before it even touched him. Efreet chuckled.

**_"Foolish half-elf!" _**he spat, slowly approaching me. **_"You think you're silly wooden arrows are a match for me, the Ruler of Hellfire!"_**

I aimed a few more arrows at the Summon Spirit, all of them disintegrating like the previous one. Efreet kept on taunting, not even trying to attack me.

_'At this rate, I'm going to run out of arrows…' _I thought. _'And lose my mind.' _I put away my bow and began casting.

**_"Icicle Rain!" _**I shouted, making icicles rain from above, most of them hitting Efreet. He grunted in pain, but then smirked.

**_"Your magic may be strong, but you're still no match for me!" _**Efreet began to make his move to me, causing me to back away. Soon, I was against a wall, and Efreet was directly in front of me. He released a flurry of powerful punches, each of them feeling like hot iron against my skin. I managed to roll away from him, and began to heal myself.

_'Fucking Efreet!' _I thought angrily. The Summon Spirit zoomed to my location and scooped me up in one of his fists.

**_"Flames of Destruction!" _**I was consumed with fiery explosions, each one bringing about more indescribable agony to my body. He threw me to the ground, leaving me writhing in pain.

**_"Is that all?" _**he taunted. **_"I expected more from _you_, Athánato."_**

"Don't call me that!" I shouted forcing myself to stand. My body was badly bruised and burned, and my clothes were singed in some areas. Sweat trickled down my neck as I stumbled away from the Summon Spirit.

**_"Pixie Circle…" _**I muttered weakly. Although the light healed most of my burns and bruises, it wasn't enough. I should've been more prepared. I can't fight Efreet now due to the condition I'm in now.

Suddenly, I had an idea. I began casting again. **_"Constellation!"_(2)**I shouted. The altar room became dark, and a few orbs of light fell from the sky. The orbs formed the constellation of Lupus, the wolf constellation, and then the whole constellation was engulfed in a bright light, and a wolf took the constellation's place.

The wolf stood on his two hind legs and had dark, matted fur and gleaming red eyes. His teeth were a rotten yellow and his claws were jagged and sharp as blades. He was the size of Noishe on four legs, but the size of a full-grown human on two.

**_"Constellation…" _**Efreet muttered. **_"That spell hasn't been used since-" _**The wolf let out a snarling growl, his eyes locking onto the Summon Spirit. **_"I see... Your elemental attribute… You really are a force to be reckoned with."_**

"Lupus!" I shouted, ignoring the hot-headed Summon Spirit. The wolf glanced at me. "Guard me while I'm casting!" The wolf obeyed, still glaring at the Summon Spirit. As I started casting another healing spell, Efreet finally snapped out of it.

**_"I don't have time for this!" _**he exclaimed. He, too, began to cast his own magic. Lupus noticed this and rushed to the Summon Spirit, his fangs bared. He slashed away at Efreet with his claws, causing him to lose focus. Lupus continued doing this until Efreet pushed him away.

"Good job, Lupus!" I exclaimed, feeling reinvigorated after casting a few more healing spells while he continued to distract the Summon Spirit.

Lupus then began performing a few artes of his own. He howled, using his **_"Guillotine Claws!" _**arte, scooping Efreet up with his claws and then digging them into his neck. He then used his **_"Unleashed Beast!" _**arte, howling, before he unleashed a frenzy of slashes and bites onto Efreet.

**_"Limited!" _**I shouted. A single ray of light blasted Efreet, delivering the final blow onto the Summon Spirit. Lupus came to my side, knowing that the Summon Spirit had enough. Efreet was panting, his body covered with numerous scratches and bruises. He slowly floated towards his altar, his body engulfed in flames once he reached it. When the flames died down, Efreet was fully healed.

**_"Not bad…" _**he muttered. **_"You have proven yourself well. I haven't had a good fight like that in centuries…"_**

"So now will you give me some of your power?" I asked. Efreet pondered this for a moment.

**_"…Very well." _**he muttered. **_"Although I don't understand why you are doing this."_**

"Well, would you like to live an eternal life without any purpose?"

**_"You may have a point, but what I don't understand is why we have to give you power to discover your purpose." _**he explained. **_"No matter… I shall give you some of my mana." _**I took out my amulet from under my clothes and held it in my hands. Efreet also had something in his hands: A small, red sphere of mana. When the amulet and mana got closer together, the amulet absorbed it.

Power surged throughout my body, and a need to fight something took over. I felt myself smile out of lust, loving the feel of this new power. I felt like I could single-handedly demolish a city if I wanted to!

**_"Your body may take some time to get used to your new mana signature, but I nothing major will happen to you." _**Efreet said, bringing me back to reality. **_"Well, not physically, at least…" _**

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

**_"It doesn't matter." _**he answered, shaking his head. **_"I doubt it would happen. Besides, there's no turning back now that you've started."_**

"Whatever…" I muttered. "I should probably get going now." I put away my amulet and left the altar room. There were no monsters on my way out, which left me disappointed, for some reason. When I made it outside, Remiel was waiting for me, his arms crossed.

"You've done well…" Remiel commented. "But I expect better the next time. He almost defeated you."

"I managed, right?" I said.

"No matter… Just don't fail in the future." The angel left, and I proceeded to the campsite unnoticed.

**Normal POV, Altar Room**

Efreet was pacing the altar, still unsure of what the young half-elf was assigned. Surely he was smart enough to not trust anyone of Cruxis.

**_"His personality is already changing…" _**he muttered to himself. **_"At this rate, he will be blind to everything, and will be easily manipulated. Yet there is no way to stop him. He's too stubborn for his own good. I must inform the others. They may still have a chance to stop this madness…"_**

* * *

**(1): Sorry if my magic theory doesn't sound that great. Tell me what you think, because I have a feeling it could use a bit of improvement.**

**(2): THIS SPELL IS COMPLETELY MADE UP!**

**A/N: Again, sorry for the long wait. And that this chapter is a bit on the short side. I promise I'll update more quickly. Oh, and ignore my Wattpad account for a while. I don't plan on updating anything there until this story reaches chapter 20. Maybe**

**Fun Facts**

**Raigā(****ライガー****), in Japanese, means 'liger'. I may be wrong, though, but according to Google, it's correct.****  
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